Irrefutable
by Manigault
Summary: A threat to GSR from past characters.
1. Chapter 1

Irrefutable

By Manigault

Disclaimer: Not mine. I'm only messing with them for awhile.

Note: GSR is canon. That's all I'm saying.

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"Hey guys, you won't believe who just walked past me heading towards Grissom's office."

Sara lifted a print from the dash of the Honda Civic that she and Nick were working on and spared a quick glance at Greg who practically bounced into the room, a look of pure glee transforming his youthful face into one of mischief.

Managing to suppress a grin she waited for either Nick to ask him who was making their way to Grissom's office, or for Greg to spill the information that he was barely keeping contained.

Nick sighed and asked the question before rolling his eyes and exchanging a quick smile with Sara.

"Who is it Greggo?"

With his excitement reaching it's peak, Greg met them with a wide grin.

"Lady of the night," Greg breathed out. "Lady Heather."

Sara's smile faltered and she suppressed the image while trying to concentrate her attention on the prints in front of her and not the knowing look of Nick or the curious one from Greg. She was not worried about Lady Heather. Why should she be? It was Sara who held Grissom's affections. She was the one he went home with at night and the one that he held in his arms and made love to with such sweet abandon. She was the one that he had bought a house with and the one that had made her the power of attorney if anything should ever happen to him the way it had Jim Brass.

Sara was not worried. Still, she was relieved when Nick drew Greg's attention away from her reaction by saying bluntly. "I'm sure that it's about the trial that is coming up and she is asking Grissom for advice."

_Thank you Nick for trying to simplify the situation._ Sara thought as she took the last print from the dash and risked another glance out of the passenger window towards Greg who was shrugging with a whatever expression.

"I'm just telling you. She was looking hot, wearing this black leather outfit and dark red lipstick."

"Sounds like a bitch," Nick replied. He could not believe that Greg was in here trying to get a reaction from Sara and that was exactly what the youngest CSI was doing. Why was he pushing this issue? Nick knew that for weeks Greg was convinced that there was something going on between Sara and Grissom but to his dismay he could not prove it and had resorted to making little comments here and there and waiting for the reaction of which ever party he was testing. This took the cake, however, and now Greg had stepped over a line.

"I think that you should be moving on, Greg, and leave us to finish collecting real evidence," said Nick. He hoped that Greg would take the hint and move away, and thankfully the younger man did so after adding that he would go elsewhere and collect other evidence.

After he left, Nick turned towards Sara and started to open his mouth before closing it quickly after a warning look from Sara and her comment.

"Don't say it, Nick, I'm not in the mood to talk about it right now."

Sara knew that Nick would understand and he did as he nodded and moved on to continue checking the trunk of the car for any clues on their case. She had to resist the urge to dash off to Grissom's office to see with her own eyes if Lady Heather was in fact in there, speaking to Grissom. Glancing at her phone she felt the urge to call him and hear his voice, listen for any nuances that spoke of his frame of mind.

Before she could cave in and follow either one of her impulses, the phone on her hip vibrated sending tiny shivers of electric pulses throughout her hip and along her nerve endings to connect with her actions. Pulling the phone off her hip she glanced at the id and sighed with relief. Grissom.

"Hey," she answered the phone sounding more breathless than she intended. Glancing quickly over her shoulder she saw that Nick was pretending to ignore her as he closed the trunk of the car and walked towards a table where they were collecting the evidence.

"I need to take care of something this evening and wanted to let you know that I'll be late coming home."

Sara's heart dropped to her toes and she waited for him to explain why he would be late.

"Sara? Did you hear what I said?" Grissom's voice was tinged with something, perhaps tension? Guilt? Maybe she was reading something into his voice that she would not have thought twice about before Greg dropped his bombshell.

"I heard you," Sara leaned back in the passenger seat and closed her eyes. "Can I ask _why_ you are going to be late?" She did not care at that second if Nick heard her and jumped to conclusions. Opening her eyes, she found that Nick had left the room and she was unnervingly alone with Grissom and only a phoneline and several hundred feet between them.

"It's not important. I wanted you to know that I'll be late and not to wait up for me."

"I see," Sara pushed back the sick feeling in her gut. This was crazy. This was Grissom she was talking to and they had moved too far forward for her to doubt him now. "Okay, then. I'll see you when you get home."

She could almost feel his frown over the line. "Is everything okay, Sara? You sound funny."

He was also clueless. If Greg was telling the truth and Lady Heather was in the CSI building, did he truly think that she would not hear about it? Possibly. The man was brillant in every way with a few exceptions. This was one of those exceptions.

"I'll see you later, Gris," she said and then added with something they never said over the phone. "I love you."

The pause was heavy and she held her breath and slapped the palm of her hand on her forehead for saying these words at work.

"Same here," Grissom said after a long pause. Was he with her now? Sara shook her head and knew that sooner or later she would hear if he left the building with that woman. Someone, most likely Greg, would be happy to inform her of the situation.

TBC

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	2. Chapter 2

Irrefutable

By: Manigault

Note: This chapter is a bit different. _This story _is a bit different from my others but I hope it's enjoyable.

Thanks to everyone who has read and for those who have reviewed!

Paragraphs in italics are memories.

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The Garage

Sara pulled into her driveway, _their driveway_, and pressed the remote control that revealed the garage where she and Grissom had parked their cars day after day, side by side, for the past eight months. It sounded trivial, but to her it was so significant. The shared intimacy that extended to the vehicles they drove, day in and day out, trivial and yet oh so meaningful.

With slow motion she pulled her car into the three car garage, turned off the ignition, and gripped the steering wheel as she remembered the first time she and Grissom had pulled into this garage.

_'Now tell me that you're glad I insisted on a house with a big garage,' Sara had teased him when they stepped out of their respective cars and had plenty of room to meet between the two vehichles where they had proceeded to kiss like teenagers, her back pressed against his Denali, his hands roaming over her body. Like newlyweds they had proceeded to have wild passionate sex against the car, her legs wrapped around his waist and his body hard and eager to consumate their first step as officially living together as a couple. _

_"You are brillant," he had whispered in her ear and suggested they take it inside the house. It wasn't the last time they had made love in the garage. After the Caprice comments concerning fantasies they had hurried home and made love on the hood of Grissom's Denali. One of his fantasies. One that she had found interesting considering the car was still heated and her head kept bumping the windshield. It had been good. It was always good with Grissom. _

Sara remembered the discussion about what color to paint the garage and how they had settled on a light tan. It was never a question of why they wanted to paint the garage. It was more than a room to park their cars. It was their first port of refuge. Grissom's butterfly pictures decorated two of the walls, and the third wall held the standard assortment of tools.

The alarm

Pressing the release button she heard the garage door lower behind her car, providing shelter from prying eyes of nosy neighbors or passerbys. The beauty of having a garage. Grabbing her bag from the car she made her way to the four steps that led to the door of their sanctuary. Punching in the alarm code she smiled again as another memory slipped through her mind.

_'Why do we need an alarm system?' Sara asked when he asked her what number she would like for him to program into the keypad. _

_'Honey, it's here and I think that it would be wise for us to take advantage of that fact. Besides, on the nights when you are here by yourself I want to be sure that you are safe.'_

_'And the nights when you are here by yourself?' joked Sara, earning an arched brow. _

_'Then I will feel safe.'_

_She had rubbed her hand over his back in slow circles and leaned against him. 'What about something that only we know?'_

_'The day we met?' Grissom asked. 'Or what about the day we first went on our first official date?'_

_He was so sweet. Sara loved the romantic side of Gil Grissom. They decided to program the date Grissom had stumbled over an invitation to dinner, the first opening into the life they now shared. _

Punching in the code, Sara bit her lip and tried not to think of this date. The first time since being together that he had phoned to tell her he would be late while evading the reason he was going to be late. Childish thoughts, Sara chided herself. Moving away from the alarm, she walked into the kitchen.

The kitchen

Sara pulled out a multi-grain muffin and proceeded to cut it down the middle before slathering olive-oil butter on the bagel and putting both slices into the toaster oven. She wasn't very hungry, but had made a promise to Grissom when they moved into this house and she would not let her exhaustion or her emotional state break her word to him.

_Grissom stood behind her, his arms wrapped around her waist, his mouth nuzzling her neck as they surveyed the expansive kitchen. 'You never eat enough, Sara, and now that we have moved here I would like for you to promise me that you will eat something, anything, before you lie down to sleep.'_

_She had been touched by his concern and reluctantly agreed that she would force herself to eat something when she walked in the door. 'Unless you distract me,' she had informed him while leaning her head to the side to allow his lips more access. _

_'It's you who distracts me,' he had responded, pulling her back into him so that he could feel her body pulsing against his own. 'You enthrall me, Miss Sidle.' _

She had turned her body so that she was facing him and had run her hands beneath her shirt and over his pounding chest. Taking a bite of her muffin she forced two bites down her constricted throat before tossing it into the trash can. She never promised to eat more than a bite.

The bedroom

Rolling over in bed, Sara pulled Grissom's pillow over to her body and wrapped her arm around the slight weight. She pressed her nose into the pillow and enhaled the Irish Spring smell that wafted through her senses. Grissom.

_Grissom sat on the edge of the bed and tugged on her hand, gently pulling her towards him until she was standing between his legs, smiling down into his face. _

_'This is our first night together in our new bed, in our new home,' said Grissom with that slight tilt to the corner of his lips that she loved so much. _

_'You have become such a romantic, Doctor Grissom.' Sara wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his forehead. 'Not that I'm complaining.'_

_Trailing kisses over his face their lips met and soon they were pulling back the covers and crawling beneath the sheets. _

It had been Sara who had decided to buy a home. With her lease running out she had made the comment to Grissom only to be stunned by his proposal that she move in with him and live in his townhome. Turning the idea over in her mind she had finally shaken her head and softly informed him that she felt the need to buy a home away from the strip, away from the city. She was stung by his hurt expression and quickly tried to kiss away the pain that she saw etched on his face.

_'Come with me,' Sara had said on impulse. 'Help me find the perfect home where we can live in discretion and not share our lives with anyone else.' _

_She had expected him to turn down her suggestion and was stunned when his eyes lit with excitement and he smiled. 'I would like that.' _

It had taken them only two weeks to find this house and make an offer on it. It was a thirty minute drive from the city and worth every minute of the drive. When it came time to sign the papers, Sara had asked him if it was a fifty fifty situation or if he wanted her to sign the contract as the sole owner.

Taking the pen from her hand he had insisted that the papers were perfect as they stood, giving them equal ownership of the house and besides, he had told her with a wry grin, it would take much longer to have the papers redrawn. They signed the papers.

Grissom owned his townhome outright so he left it as is for nights when they did not feel like driving away from the city which had happened only once after an incredibly long trying case.

Now, Sara lay awake and watched the bedside clock tick along the minutes and then the hours. Grissom would be exhausted by now, he had already worked a double. Staring at her cellphone she contemplated calling him and decided to wait until she had slept for a few hours and didn't sound so agitated due to her own tired state of mind. Somehow she managed to fall into a restless sleep.

The ringing of her phone brought her to the surface of her disturbing dreams and she groped for the device and pulled it to her ear with a mumbled greeting.

"Have you slept?" Grissom quizzed from across the line.

Instantly awake, Sara pried her eyes open and they fell on the clock. She had to be back at work in two hours. "Where are you?"

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

Irrefutable

By: Manigault

As always, reviews are appreciated. Thank you. Also, thank for all those who are reading this story.

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"Where are you?"

Grissom heard the uncertainty that underlied Sara's question and it made him feel sick. She knew that Heather had come to his office to see him about something and probably realized that the reason he had not returned home had something to do with that same woman.

Earlier that day, he had been warily eyeing the messages on his cell phone and trying to come to some decision on how to let Heather know that he could not return her calls without returning her calls, when she had appeared in his doorway wearing black leather from head to toe and bright red lipstick that made him cringe.

_'You never returned my calls.' she had said with a measure of accusation. _

_'I've been busy,' he replied. He knew that sounded lame, but it was the first reason that popped into his mind. _

_Heather gave him the once over and smiled that knowing smile that had intrigued him at one time. _

_'I can see that you want to forget that I exist and pretend that we never shared a connection.'_

_This had suprised him and it showed on his face and when he protested. 'I barely know you, Heather. Something that was brought home the last time we met and one of the reasons I haven't returned your calls.'_

_'I need to talk with you about what happened.'_

_'Excuse me?'_

_'I need your help,' she repeated. 'My trial is coming up and I need someone to talk with that understands.'_

_He didn't understand. Grissom pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head. 'I'm sure there are others that you can speak with. I don't think that it would be ethical for me to converse with you about anything that pertains to the trial since I'm the one that phoned Brass and also an ambulance.' For the man you beat within an inch of his life, even if he did deserve it._

_'You didn't process that scene,' Heather said with a steady voice that belied the fact that she insisted she needed someone to talk with that understood what she had done. _

_She had taken a step towards him and he attempted to take a step back, bumping into his desk. 'Heather.' _

_'It's okay, Gil, I see the distress on your face and in your voice.' She did appear beaten down at that second and he felt a tug of sorrow for what she had allowed herself to become due to grief. _

_'If you will simply have breakfast with me and let me work through that night, then I won't bother you again.'_

_He had finally agreed to meet her for breakfast and immediately his thoughts shifted to Sara and how she would react. Knowing that he should let Sara know about this, he watited until Heather left his office and decided to tell her straight out about the situation. _

_'I need to take care of something this evening and wanted to let you know I'll be late coming home.' Why hadn't he told her the truth?_

_He waited for what felt like an insurmountable length of time before he asked. 'Sara? Did you hear what I said?' He heard the sadness in her voice when she asked him why he was going to be late. This was when he knew that he should tell her the truth. He should ask her where she was and find her and then explain. Glancing at his watch, he realized that he needed to head out now if he was going to meet Heather and get that conversation over with. _

_'It's not important. I wanted to let you know that I'll be late and not to wait up for me.' He would tell her when he got home. _

_'I see,' Sara had told him with something akin to doubt. 'Okay then, I'll see you when you get home.'_

_His head was beginning to pound as he stepped outside the CSI headquarters and turned back around to stare at the building that held the woman that he had built a life with over the past year and a half. After the case where he had stopped Heather from committing murder, Sara had asked him about what happened and he had simply said "It's over. Nothing.' That had been the extent of their conversation concerning Heather and he was perfectly satisfied not discussing her with Sara. _

_'Is everything okay, Sara? You sound funny.'_

_'I'll see you later, Gris.' he heard the hesitation in her voice and then her next words stunned him. 'I love you.'_

_They had agreed to never utter anything romantic at work and he wondered at the fact that she chose to do so now. 'Same here.' he had said as he opened his car door and slid inside. And he did. He only hoped that she would understand when he explained everything to her later on. _

"I'm in my townhome," Grissom said after a long pause where he tried to push back the memories of the past few hours. "I thought that I would grab a couple of hours of sleep instead of driving home exhausted."

"Are you alone?"

Sara's question robbed him of whatever doubt he had as to what she had heard in the CSI rumor mill. "Not exactly, but honey, I swear I can explain."

Grissom rubbed his eyes and waited for Sara to break the silence. If he was the one waiting at home, alone, then he would be pissed given the same situation.

"I'm listening."

"Why don't you come here? It's on your way to work and it would be easier to explain if I can see you."

"Fine." Sara said after another long pause. "I'l be there in thirty minutes."

Grissom dropped his phone on the coffee table and slung himself back on the cushions. Shit. He hoped that Sara would believe him.

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

Irrefutable

By: Manigault

Thanks for reading this and as always thank you for the reviews! This is a short chapter, but I'll post another one soon.

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Grissom sighed and walked slowly into the kitchen to see what he could put together. He knew that Sara would have left home without eating anything and most likely had eaten little for breakfast.

The townhouse felt empty after spending the past eight months in a home with Sara, building a life that he had never thought he could obtain giving his stage in life and the manner in which he had behaved to her in the years since she had moved to Vegas.

They kept the essentials stocked in case one or both of them needed a place in town to stay on short notice. Today had been short notice. Pulling out a box of frozen bagels he placed two of them in the toaster oven and turned the button. It would suffice. The only time he and Sara had stayed here since moving into their home they had found that the milk had gone sour and the bread molded. Throwing them out, they made the decision that going out for breakfast or dinner would be preferable and in a dire crunch they could always toast a bagel.

He heard the key turn in the front door and inwardly cringed. Losing Sara would be the worst possible outcome of the situation he had found himself immersed in and it was unacceptable.

His heart pounded as she appeared in his view, holding a brown bag in one hand and a tray with two coffees in the other. "Hey, sweetheart." Sara walked up to him and placed a kiss on his lips. Somewhere in the middle of getting dressed and driving towards Vegas, she had decided that whatever Grissom had to tell her would be bearable. They could work it out. She would make sure of that.

Feeling her lips on his own made Grissom's heart leap with relief, if it was only short lived. Would she be so understanding when he filled her in on what he had committed to during the day?

"I brought bagels and coffee," she said and stepped back only far enough to indicate the items before nodding over towards the toaster oven. "I see you thought of that already."

"We left a few in the freezer."

Small talk. The normal talk of a couple who had worked through their frustrations, their hang ups, their issues. Grissom felt like shit for being the one that had to put a wedge in the normalcy of the life they had built away from work.

"We'll eat and then you can tell me what is bothering you," said Sara. She glanced around the townhouse wondering if Grissom was alone, and if not, where was she?

"Sara." Grissom reached for the bag of bagels and took them from her, before taking the coffee tray and placing it on the counter beside the bag.

Taking a deep breath, Sara shook her head. "Let's eat first, Gris. Okay?"

Avoidance. A dance that they had played in the past only too well, usually a role reserved for himself. "Okay." He hoped that they would not be interrupted before he could explain everything, but he also needed for this closeness to continue for as long as possible.

They opted for the couch, placing their coffees on the low table in front of them as they pulled a bagel apart and spread cream cheese along the perimeter of the blueberry flavored bread. As their relationship had grown, they had moved into a routine when doing something as simple as eating bagels or muffins. They shared. It had been so natural for Grissom to spread cream cheese on a bagel and hand it to Sara, encouraging her to eat something with some substance. The first time she had laughingly told him that if he ate half, then she would, and lovingly handed him half of it back. They had shared a smile, his eyes crinkling at the corners as he took a bite and watched as she did the same. So simple. So trivial. And so right.

This had not changed. Not yet. Grissom bit into his half of the bagel and kept his eyes trained on Sara's face as she slowly chewed her own bite of bagel and tried desperately to pretend there was no unknown entity floating between them.

As she took a sip of coffee and Grissom leaned forward to pluck a stray crumb from her lap, she knew the time was ready for the conversation that was inevitable.

"Who was here, Gris? And what could I misinterpret?"

"This should be interesting."

The voice drifted over to the Sara's ears from the hallway that led to the bedrooms. When Sara shifted around on the sofa, she saw a leather clad woman leaning against the doorway that led into the den, her lips turned up in amusement as she took in the scene before her.

Fighting back an urge to gasp, Sara blinked several times and carefully turned back towards Grissom, her eyes demanding an explanation.

Grissom searched for the words that would convince Sara that he could in fact explain everything to her and decided he would have to settle for the truth.

"Heather asked for my help and I agreed."

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

Irrefutable

By: Manigault

Thanks so much for the replies and thanks for reading this story.

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"You agreed to help her do what exactly?" asked Sara. The calmness of her question was remarkable to her own ears and more worrisome to Grissom than if she had reacted with anger or even distress.

Ignoring the woman who was inching her way towards them and easing into the recliner opposite, Grissom reached for Sara's hand that was curled tightly in her lap. She _was _angry.

"Honey, it wasn't my intention to become involved but it's something that I feel that I need to do after being informed of her situation."

Sara let her hand uncurl and laced her fingers with his as she cast a suspicious look over at the amused woman who was lounging in Grissom's black leather recliner, one leg draped elegantly over the other. She didn't appear so distraught that she had to have Grissom's help.

"We've never met," she said to the woman that had spiked the gossip mill of CSI over the past few years. "I'm Sara Sidle, I live with Grissom."

Lady Heather raised her eyebrows at this revelation. Obviously, this Sara Sidle was one of the reasons that Gil had been much more standoffish and simultaneously, why she had detected a new level of peace in his eyes that had not been there the first few times they had met.

"Why are you here?" Sara asked when the silent inspection had become unbearable.

"You say that you live together?" Lady Heather asked with a slight smile on the corner of her painted red lips as she ignored Sara's question by asking one of her own. "This townhouse is so sterile, so _unlived_ in that your statement surprises me."

Agitated with the direction of these comments, Sara swung her attention back onto Grissom and locked eyes with him.

Taking the cue, Grissom squeezed her hand and looked over at Heather. "Sara and I have a home outside of Vegas." He felt no need to elaborate.

"Ahhh, I'm impressed, Gil." Lady Heather flicked one ankle and studied the couple's posture as she addressed Sara with her eyes and then with her question. "Why do you call him Grissom? How very impersonal."

"How _very,"_ Sara repeated without hiding the sarcasm. She was disturbed by this womans accusatory statement. "we agreed to use_ personal _only in bed."

That much was true, Sara thought to herself as memories of the first time they had been intimate came to mind.

_Grissom had been doing things with his tongue that should be illegal, but had felt so right, and she had been blown away by his attentions._

_'Grissom, that feels soooo good.'_

_A soft chuckle drifted up her body, rippling along her spine, and barely registering in her brain. _

_Sliding back up her body until his until his lips met hers, he had whispered, 'You've never called me Gil. I'm between your legs, the most intimate moment of our lives, and I hear my name. My last name. This he had stressed with an exaggerated sigh. _

_He was going there? Now? _

_'Okay, then, Gris, could you please continue?'_

_'Gil.' he insisted. One hand found it's way back to the place where his mouth had been only seconds before and he began a gentle caress that was sending spasms of pleasure coursing along her senses. _

_'Gil,' she heard her voice as she felt his body shudder against her and his hand moved back up to cup her face. Staring into his eyes, she had repeated his first name with a smile. _

"Sara?" Grissom's voice cut through her memories and she felt a blush creep it's way up along her neck. She felt his hand tighten around hers and he smiled gently. "I want to fill you in on what has happened today."

"Lady Heather came to the lab to see you this morning," stated Sara recalling Greg's announcement. "Was that the first time you have seen her since stopping her from killing someone?"

Startled for only a second, Grissom nodded. He suspected that the grapevine would have weaved its way to Sara's ears before Heather had reached his office. "I haven't seen her since that day, but she came to see me this morning and convinced me to meet her for breakfast."

"Why is she here with you in your townhome?" This was the question that was bugging her the most and the one that she had tried to receive an answer about minutes earlier only to have the question turned on her and her relationship with Grissom.

"It's not that simple, Sara, but I'll try to explain." Grissom wanted to be alone with Sara and he didn't want Heather's prying eyes observing them and dissecting them as they talked this situation through.

Standing up, he gently pulled Sara to her feet and murmured for her ears only. "Let's talk in the bedroom," She nodded and he turned briefly towards Heather. "If you will excuse us? You can help yourself to anything in the kitchen." Without waiting for her reply, he left the room with Sara who spared no glance over at Heather whom she wanted to vanish. She let go of Grissom's hand and moved ahead of him into the bedroom where they had first made love. Stopping just inside the room, she stared at the bed in thoughtful contemplation. Had Lady Heather ever slept in this room?

As if reading her mind, Grissom took her hand and led her over the bed while saying in an offhand manner. "Heather stayed in the guest room and I slept on the sofa," he watched her slide onto the bed, her feet firmly planted on the floor. "I couldn't sleep in here without you." It sounded so juvenile to his ears, but it was the truth. He had hovered in his bedroom and quickly fled back to the den where he had slept fitfully on the sofa after downing two pills for the headache that was threatening to slip over his conscious.

"Heather called me several times over the past few days and I never returned her calls," Grissom began as he stuffed both hands in his pockets and stared intently at Sara's face. "I didn't want to talk with her about the trial coming up and that is what I assumed she was calling about. Besides, I also assumed that it would only be postponed, yet again." The case had come up for trial on more than one occasion and each time, for some inexplicable reason, it was postponed. Grissom had his suspicions that Heather had something to do with it, and the fact that many of the court personnel were clients at her domain were forefront on his mind.

"She came to my office this morning, unannounced," Grissom continued keeping a close eye on her expressions. "I told her that I coud not speak with her about the trial, but she was persistant and convinced me to meet her for breakfast." This part he couldn't explain to Sara. He couldn't explain it to himself. By talking to her, Grissom felt that he could finish that chapter in his life and she would leave him alone. He would insist.

Sara broke eye contact with him and stared at her hands that were clasped together in her lap. "Go on," she said when he failed to continue and she allowed herself to slide her gaze back up until she met his own.

"Heather didn't want to talk about the upcoming trial," he said with a frown furrowing between his brows. "she wanted to tell me about a threat she was receiving that involved her missing grandchild."

Anger sliced through Sara and for the first time she allowed her anger to slip through her composure. "Tell her to call the police. Call Jim. This isn't in your area of expertise, Grissom, you know that as much as I do."

Turning his head away, Grissom nodded. "I told her that. I suggested she phone Jim and let him handle the situation, but she was adament that if she involved the police then her grandchild would be hurt."

"She walked into CSI headquarters," said Sara with a disbelieving shake of her head. "I think that would constitute involving the police."

"I mentioned that fact and she insisted that it was different and the perpetrator knows that it's different."

Stunned by what he was suggesting, Sara wordlessly questioned him with her eyes.

"Apparently, the perp knows me and is the one that suggested that I become involved." Grissom crouched down in front of Sara and wrapped his hands around her own. "When we met for breakfast, I received a phone call from this person." Searching his mind for the exact words he repeated the man's threat. "He claims to have been emotionally harmed by me in some manner and now he plans on wrecking havoc in my life."

"This is so far fetched, Gris, that I'm having a hard time believing it." Sara pulled her hands from his grasp and placed them on each of his shoulders. "Are you sure Lady Heather isn't playing games with you?"

Grissom stood up and began to pace around the bedroom. "I'm sure," he tried to sound confident but didn't believe his own words. "What purpose would she have for interfering with my life like that? She has a missing grandchild. She is on trial for kidnapping and almost brutally murdering the suspect in her daughters own murder. She has enough on her plate without screwing with my life."

He sounded like he was trying to convince himself, but Sara kept that opinion to herself and glanced over at the clock on the nightstand. "Work! I"m late for work, Gris." Shit. She didn't want to leave him her with her and she still hadn't been told why Heather was here and not at her own home.

"I'll vouch for you with your supervisor," Grissom offered, his tone lightening for the first time since this whole plight had begun that morning.

"You are on schedule tonight," said Sara. "Don't you think it will be suspicious if we both come in late tonight? We've been so careful."

Lifting his arms, palms out, Grissom waved them slightly and tried to sound nonchalant. "I called Catherine earlier and told her not to expect me."

Silence stretched between them as they eyed one another with trepidation. Finally, Sara spoke. "Tell me why this person would insist that you become involved? Did he give you any indication of what is it that he thinks you did to him? And, if he wanted to ruin your life then why not expose our relationship? Wouldn't that be easier than all of this cloak and dagger?"

"Exposing our relationship wouldn't destroy me," replied Grissom. "However, losing you would."

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

Irrefutable

By: Manigault

Thank you for reading this and for the reviews! It helps keep my muse rolling!

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"Come here," Sara held out her hand for Grissom to take in his own. Tugging him down to the bed beside her, she leaned against his shoulder and released a heavy sigh. "Gil, unless you decide to call off our relationship then you won't lose me. I've loved you for more than a decade now, and that won't change because of some whip toting woman and her baggage."

Chuckling softly, Grissom wrapped his arm around her shoulders and kissed the top of her head. "I wish it were that simple, Sara. We've always known that our relationship would one day be exposed and we've said that we would be ready to handle the fallout, but this is altogether different. This perp wants to destroy what I love the most, that's what he informed me on the phone. He didn't tell me what I did to him, or who he is, only that he expected me to stay glued to Heather's side unless I wanted something to happen to the child." He hesitated, and added softly. "Or to you."

Sara lifted her head from his shoulder and turned to study him with a calmness she didn't feel inside. "Stay glued to her side? That's why she is here in your townhome? For how long, and for what purpose?"

"He said that he would call again soon and we had best be together," Grissom sighed and looked over at the bedside clock. "I want to tell you to call in sick, but Catherine would flip if we were both out, so, honey I'm asking you to trust me on this and know that I'm doing nothing without thinking of you."

"That makes me feel so much better about leaving you alone with that freak," Sara muttered.

Expecting Grissom to be annoyed at her statement she was surprised when he laughed softly and bent forward to kiss her on the lips. "I love you, Sara Sidle, no matter what happens, remember that."

Sara pulled back and said quickly. "What do you mean by 'no matter what happens', Gris?"

Pushing her back gently on the bed, Grissom draped one leg half way over her body and bent again to taste her lips. "This man requested that we drive to Los Angelos tonight and that we leave at nine o'clock exactly."

"You could be driving straight into a trap. Let me go with you. We'll call Jim and find out who this joker is and why he is doing this to us."

"I don't want to put you in danger, sweetheart, but I need for you to be on your toes for the next few days. Make sure that nobody follows you into the garage and be sure to use the alarm, okay?" Grissom wanted to keep Sara by his side, but the man had been adament that he and Heather alone make the trip. "You need to leave for work. I'll call you when I get a chance."

"You better call me every chance you get, if it's only to say that you're okay." Sara pulled him to her and deepened the kiss, shifting so that she could feel the weight of his body on the length of her own. Not caring that she was already late for work, she wanted him. "I want you inside me, Gil, now."

It was the use of his first name that snapped something inside of him. Frantically they pulled clothes off as they met in a desperate mating that had not occurred since they first moved into their house. Breathing heavily, Grissom forced himself to slow his movements down and whisper in her ear. "You trust me?"

Catching her breath, Sara nodded. "With my life."

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Grissom walked with Sara to her car and stood there as she slid into the front seat. "I wonder what excuse Catherine will believe," pondered Sara as she realized that her cell phone had been left sitting on the front seat of her car and the incessant beeping alerted her of the fact that she was being missed.

Leaning one arm against the car and the other holding open the door, Grissom smiled weakly. "Tell her you lost track of time and leave it at that."

"We're talking about the same woman?"

Grissom smiled and leaned into the car to place a lingering kiss on her lips. "Be safe, and I'll call you soon."

Watching the Denali leave, Grissom worried that nothing would be the same again as he reluctantly made his way back inside his townhome.

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It didn't feel right walking into the break room without Grissom being there. Stepping into the room she looked around and found that it was empty with one exception, Greg, who was busy mixing a batch of his special coffee.

Not wanting to talk to anyone, but knowing it was inevitable, she asked Greg where Catherine was and what was going on that night, case wise. Spinning around, Greg exclaimed with happiness.

"Sara! You're okay! Where have you been? You're never late and we were so worried about you." The words flew out in a rush and Sara had a headache trying to separate them in some semblance of order. Before she could give him a reason for her tardiness, Catherine breezed into the room.

"Where have you been and why haven't you been answering your phone?"

Sara heard the agitation in Catherine's voice and knew her well enough after six years to know that it was agitation but also a mixture of concern for her well being.

"I lost track of time," Sara said without giving it much thought. "I spoke with Grissom, he said it was okay." She decided some truthfulness would not be amiss.

"That figures," Catherine huffed. "Grissom isn't here so of course it wouldn't affect him if you are late. He's called out for the next few days; didn't he tell you that when you spoke with him?"

"Next few days?" Sara repeated as she tried to process this new information. Grissom told her he would be out for this shift, but she hadn't allowed herself to doubt that he wouldn't be back for work in time tommorrow night.

"That's Grissom for you," Catherine sighed. "Warrick and Nick have a double homicide in Henderson, Sara, why don't you join them at this address?" She handed a piece of paper to Sara and left the break room reminding Greg to meet her in the parking lot in five. "Maybe you should listen to your messages." She added in Sara's direction as she left the room.

Sara started to follow her from the break room when Greg stopped her with a touch on her elbow.

"I'm really sorry about teasing you yesterday, Sara, that was stupid of me."

Sara recognized Greg's sincerity and nodded. "Forget it, Greg."

Together, they walked from the CSI building and waved goodbye as they moved in different directions.

Climbing back inside her car, Sara lifted the phone as she drove and punched in the numbers to hear her messages.

'You have five new messages,' she was infomed. The first two messages were from Catherine, the third from a concerned Nick, the fourth almost made her drive off the road.

She didn't recognize the voice and it was obvious a voice disguisher was being used. 'Miss Sara Sidle. I know that you are with your boyfriend. This is a warning. If you phone Gil Grissom or speak to him you will never see him again. You're smart, you don't know me but I know that you'll be afraid to ignore this threat.'

It took all of her self control to pull off the highway as she stared at the phone in horror. Punching in a few numbers she searched for the number of the person who had threatened Grissom and found that it was unlisted. No surprise. Her first instinct was to phone Grissom and tell him about the message. She would insist that he forgo his plan to help Heather and follow this madmans orders. They would work this out together. Punching a number she heard the phone dial through to Grissom's cell phone and waited. His voice mail picked up and she left a hurried message for him to call her immediately. She considered driving back over to his townhome and pushed the unease away. Glancing at the time on the dash, she realized it was after nine o'clock and he would have left the townhome.

"Grissom." Sara whispered as she rested her forehead on the steering wheel. There had to be something she could do to help him.

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

Irrefutable chapter seven

By: Manigault

Thanks for reading this story and thank very much to everyone who has reviewed!

This will most likely be the last chapter for several days. Hopefully next week it will continue.

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Returning to the lab, Sara made her way to the locker room and hoped that nobody would follow. For the past four hours she had been the recipient of confused and worried looks from both Warrick and Nick who had given up asking her if she was okay after she had snapped back at both of them on multiple occasions. She felt bad about being short with them, but it took all of her willpower not to break down and confess everything. She needed someone she could confide in and her confidant was not answering his phone. Despite the warning from some lunatic, she had tried to get through to him several times to no avail.

The past year and a half had been so perfect. It wasn't that they were afraid of everyone finding out about them, but it was something that they wanted to keep private. Sara wouldn't even say that it added to the excitement of being together, but she had to admit, it gave her a secret pleasure to know that he was hers and nobody else was privy to that.

She was startled out of her reverie when her phone rang in the otherwise silent room. Eager, she snatched it off of her hip and stared at the id. Private number. Angry now she pushed the button and snapped.

"Who is this?"

The laughter that wove its way through her phone was eerily chilling and she almost dropped it as the sound echoed in her ear. "Miss Sidle. Didn't anyone ever teach you how to answer a phone properly? Ahhh, no. Your role models weren't very proper, were they Sara?"

Blood drained from Sara's face as she processed what this maniac was implying. "You know nothing about my childhood," she said angrily. "Where is Grissom? I promise that if you hurt him I will hunt you down and find you if it's the last thing I do."

Silence met her on the other end of the phone. After several drawn out seconds dragged past, the person spoke, the angry undercurrents reaching through the line to send shivers down her spine.

"Don't threaten me, Sara, or you will be the one to regret it. I know all about you. I know what makes you tick and what turns you on. I also know what turns Gil Grissom on and his trip to LA may prove to much for his self control."

Sara tried to process what this person was insinuating and felt another rush of anger. "Grissom is over what ever fascination he had with Lady Heather. I know that for a fact. Are you working for her? Is that what this is about?"

"You flatter your boyfriend and you give that bitch too much credit. He won't talk to you. I've made sure of that."

He disconnected before Sara could demand he explain. Fear gripped its way around her heart and mind as the implications sunk in that this madman could very possibly have hurt Grissom. Why else would he say he had made sure of the fact that Grissom would not talk with her again. She tried to reach Grissom again and clutched the phone in frustration when his voice mail picked up.

"Sara? What's going on?"

Nick stepped further into the room when Sara didn't answer and she nearly jumped out of her skin when he reached forward and touched her shoulder.

"Nick! Shit! Why are you sneaking up on me?" Sara glared at her friend and felt a stab of shame that she was reacting so angrily, but she was out of her mind with worry about Grissom.

"Sorry, I didn't intend to scare you Sara," Nick looked chagrined and started to back up towards the locker room door, but not before saying gently. "You know that you can talk to me or Warrick if you need to Sar. You can trust us with whatever has you on edge."

Her face softened as she nodded that she understood. Pushing back the tears that were threatening, she bit her lip to keep from spilling out everything to Nick. Was she crazy to keep this to herself? She needed to talk with someone and suddenly she knew who that was.

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"Hey, Jim, you got a minute?" Sara stood outside of his office and tried to keep the anxiety out of her voice. It must have slipped through, however, as Brass stood abruptly from his chair and motioned her inside.

"What's the problem, kiddo?" Brass had seen Sara upset many times over the years, but never had he seen her radiate so much fear. "Close the door behind you."

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Grissom gripped the steering wheel so tightly, his knuckles had turned white and the joints were beginning to ache. He had to keep his focus on the road and not give into the urge to dial the one number that would lead him to Sara's voice. The lunatic had forbade him to speak to Sara and insisted that if he tried to contact her then she would be harmed. He didn't know that she wouldn't be and refused to take the chance. She kept trying to reach him and he couldn't press that one button that would connect him with her.

"Relax, Gil, I'm sure that your lover will be fine."

Grissom glanced over at Heather and shook his head. "You can't know that," he snapped. "I don't know who this madman is or where he is. I don't know if there are more than one of them. I keep feeling like this whole thing is some nightmare that I'll wake up from any minute."

"It's a shared nightmare," Heather said sadly. She studied Grissom's profile for a minute before asking him the question that had been on her mind since seeing him with Sara. "How long have you known Sara Sidle?"

He didn't want to talk about Sara with Heather, but the road stretched out in front of them and his desire to call her was almost more than he could stand so he said briskly. "Over ten years," he wasn't planning to say anything more, but then he couldn't help himself. "I was teaching a seminar in San Fransisco on forensic entomology. Sara was a new criminologist who attended my lecture. She was a brillant student and asked the most intellectual questions of any student I've every had." His face softened as he recalled the first meeting of Sara Sidle.

_He was watching the students file into the auditorium and sizing them up with astute eyes. Some were there because they had to be, some because they had nothing better to do, others because they were geniunely interested in the lecture. He noticed her straight away--pretty brunette with the lanky frame and inquistive eyes. She took a seat in the front row and looked eagerly towards the podium where he stood. Their eyes met and Grissom had to shake away the feeling of familiarity as he shifted his notes and cleared his throat. _

_She waited until after the first lecture was complete before approaching him with questions. She was working a current case that involved the victim being found with maggots covering his body. He suggested they leave the auditorium and grab a bite to eat while he explained the cycle of the maggots. The conversation had drifted from the case to other topics as they munched on seafood. _

A probing voice brought him back to the present and Grissom shifted in his seat as he focused again on the road while asking Heather to repeat her question.

"How long have you and Sara been intimate?"

The question startled him and he swerved off the road before correcting his mistake and straightening out the wheel. "That's personal."

"I would say more than a year by the level of comfort you display, but then you have known one another for many years." Heather recalled the easiness that she witnessed earlier that day.

"Over a year and a half," Grissom said at last, and added almost begrudingly. "I finally got my shit together and moved forward with our relationship. Satisfied?"

"Not really," Heather said with a sigh. "You've been in love with Sara for years. When we met you were in love with her?" She didn't wait for him to answer before continuing, "For some reason you denied yourself from being with her, and you flirted openly with me."

"I was her supervisor." Grissom said defensively.

"And now you aren't?"

Grissom couldn't deny the fact that he was still her supervisor but that somehow it didn't mean the same as it had years ago. The only thing that had really altered was his own mind set and the reality that what was most important to him was to love and be loved. It sounded trite, but it was real to him. There was no way he would confess that to Heather.

"You _are_ still her supervisor!" Heather said with amusement. "That's interesting."

"We've changed," Grissom said, and then amended, "I've changed."

"Tell me how you've changed, Gil? What makes you different today than you were, say, four years ago?"

"You are the one that reads people, Heather, you tell me." The ire in Grissom's voice could not be kept in check. He was irritated.

"I don't read people like I used to," Heather replied.

Grissom glanced over towards her side of the car and found that she was staring out of the side window and he could only see the back of her head.

"I'm sorry about Chloe," Grissom told her as the image of her daughter ran through his mind and he shook it away.

The silence stretched for several miles as neither one of them spoke. Heather broke the silence.

"Do you and Sara plan on having children?"

"Excuse me?" Grissom asked in disbelief.

"Children. Do you plan on ever having any together?" Heather studied his incredulous expression and smiled slightly. "It's not a trick question. Sara appears to be in her thirties and your not getting any younger. It certaintly made my life better."

"And then when you lost her, you lost part of yourself, didn't you?" Grissom questioned with sudden insight into her behavior after the discovery of her daughter. "I think that for Sara and me to have a child together we would have to sacrifice part of ourselves that we're not willing to part with. Selfish. Maybe. I don't know."

"You decided the risk isn't worth it?" Heather asked. "You both agreed not to have children because of what could happen?"

"We have each other and that's all that we need," Grissom gripped the wheel and wondered if they would still have that when this was over. "The idea of a child isn't something that either of us want." The fact is they had discussed it once and both agreed they didn't want children. That was the extent of the conversation and it had not disturbed him that Sara wouldn't discuss the decision in detail. When he mentioned obtaining a vasectomy she had shaken her head and asked him to wait. She was on the pill and that was sufficient. She didn't want him to have surgery. He hadn't given it any more thought until this minute.

"The fact that Chloe has a son out there, a part of herself, it gives me something to hold on to." Heather admitted.

Grissom spent years trying to gain the courage to break through his own reserves and fears in order to allow himself to become involved with Sara, leaving little time for the concept of having a child with her. Now the idea gave him pause. What would a child of theirs be like? Intelligent, no doubt. Inquistive, definitely. Brown eyes, probably, as genetically the color was dominant. Brunette, also probable.

"It's intriguing, isn't it Gil?"

The question brought his thoughts to an abrupt halt. For a few minutes he had become caught up in a fantasy, albeit a new one, and for Heather of all people to have witnessed this was unacceptable.

Heather recognized his wistfullness and it gave her a degree of sadness. She often felt as though Gil Grissom would have been a wonderful lover and possibly more, but there had always been something holding him back. Then she met the reason he was holding back, in the form of Sara Sidle.

"You have time to have it all with Sara. Although you think that you are satisfied with her alone, someday you may find that one of you, or both, will want more and it will be impossible to recapture the years."

Grissom heard regret in her voice. He wanted to assure her that she couldn't have done anything to have helped Chloe or her child, but he didn't know that. He spotted an exit coming up and a sign indicating that there was a gas station and decided it was a good time to change the subject.

"We're sitting on empty," Grissom nodded towards the exit they were approaching. "It's a good time to stretch our legs and refuel."

Pulling into the only gas station off of the exit, Grissom noticed a lone payphone in the corner of the parking lot. Dare he risk it? Shooting a look over to Heather as he climbed from the car, he asked simply.

"Would you mind grabbing a water for me while I pump the gas?" He wondered if she would be angry with his request, but she nodded and moved off towards the small gas station. Setting the pump to run continuosly into the fuel tank he walked briskly over to the pay phone while pulling out some change.

He was taking a chance and hoped that it wasn't a mistake. Dialing a familiar number he waited two rings before the phone was answered.

"Brass."

"Jim, I need a favor."

TBC


	8. Chapter 8

Irrefutable

By: Manigault

Thanks for the reviews and for reading this fic! It's appreciated!

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"Gil? Where are you?" Brass couldn't believe his ears as he looked over his desk at the expression on Sara's face and knew that she was as shocked as he was.

"Never mind that, Jim. I need you to give a message to Sara for me. I'll explain later." Grissom hoped he wasn't taking more chances than he realized when he decided to use the pay phone.

"You can give her the message yourself. Hold on." Brass handed the phone over his desk into eager hands before Grissom could form a question.

"Grissom? Are you okay?"

"Sara? What are you doing in Jim's office? Are _you _okay?" Grissom pressed the phone against his ear and breathed in the sound of her voice.

"No, I'm not fine. I need you to turn around and come back home." Sara avoided looking at Brass as she spoke. "This lunatic called me not long ago."

Grissom's pulse pounded and he tried to control his temper. "What did he say to you?"

Sara relayed the conversation. "He has you on a wild goose chase, so that you will be alone with Lady Heather. I really feel that I'm the one he's stalking. Jim thinks the same thing."

"Honey, if your correct then you can't go home," Grissom glanced towards his car and found that Heather was leaning against the side, staring in his direction. How did her missing grandchild tie in with everything? If the man was stalking Sara and attempting to get rid of him in the process, then how did he know about Heather's grandson?And, how had the man sent blood samples to her that she had taken to a private lab and had verified?

"Grissom, you need to come back home. We can face this situation together and find out who this person is with the help of Brass. If you haven't guessed, I told him about us. I didn't know who else to talk to and you wouldn't answer your phone."

"It's okay, honey, if you had to tell someone then Jim is the one I would have hoped you would confide in," he turned away from Heather's questioning eyes. " I can't answer my cell phone because the lunatic informed me that if I spoke with you, he would harm you. I'm on a pay phone now."

"Tell me you're coming back to Vegas," Sara needed to hear him say that he would return and they would fight this man together.

"I want to tell you that," Grissom wanted nothing more than to be heading home to Sara, "only there is still the matter of Heather's grandchild. I can't bail out on that aspect of this situation."

"Griss."

"I love you, Sara, and I will call you from the next pay phone that I find."

"Griss, don't do this," Sara rubbed her forehead and fought back the wave of fear.

"Let me speak with Jim? Please?"

Sara knew that his mind was set and she had no choice in the matter. She couldn't make Grissom do anything that he didn't want to do and she wouldn't want him to do anything less than that.

"I love you, too, Gil." Sara handed the phone to Brass. "He asked to speak with you, Jim."

The use of his first name made Grissom lean heavily against the phone booth. It took several seconds for Jim's voice to register.

"I'm here, Jim," Grissom finally managed. "I need another favor from you."

They spoke for several minutes before Grissom replaced the phone and moved off towards his car and Heather. It was going to be a long drive.

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"What did Grissom ask you to do?" Sara had listened to the one way conversation and knew that it involved herself.

"I'm to escort you to your home to gather some clothes and accessories and take you to my place for the next few days or until Gil gets back home."

"No." Sara stood up and began to pace the small office. "I don't need a bodyguard, Jim, I can take care of myself."

"Your doing such a good job you had to come to me for advice." Brass didn't mince words. The situation was serious and he promised Gil that he would look after Sara.

"Advice being the key word." Sara folded her arms at the elbows and paused in front of his desk. "Why doesn't he turn around and come home?"

"He thinks that this grandchild of Heather's is in danger and you know that he would never endanger a child, not if he can prevent it."

"I know that," Sara replied on a sigh. "I don't expect anything else from him, but it scares me."

"The fact that he's with her?"

"No," Sara shook her head and knew that she was serious about what she said next. "I'm scared that he's running into a trap."

"We share that concern." Jim said.

"I can't depend on you to guard me, Jim, I just need someone to help me figure this out and try to get Grissom home safe."

"Gil told me that he is wary of cell phones so he will use a pay phone when he can and either call my home number or this one."

"Your pulling out all the guns," Sara half smiled and shook her head. "If I stick close to you then I may have the chance to talk with Grissom. The problem is what if you're not in your office or at home? A good part of your day you're out in the field or in your car."

"He will page me."

Sara stared at him for several seconds, blinking rapidly. "And my pager?"

"He's concerned about your pagers as well," Jim said. "We don't know how connected this crazy person is with the phone system or what have you. Grissom feels that we're taking a chance with him talking to me. We're counting on the fact that the lunatic won't think that you would tell anyone else about your relationship."

"If I stay with you, then the lunatic will know," Sara felt paranoid about being in this office for such a long period of time. "He may know that I've been in here and already guessed that I've confided in you. I can't have you in danger, Jim. Grissom wasn't thinking it through."

"And you are?"

"I'm thinking more clearly than I have since this whole situation began." Sara pulled her shoulders back and raised her chin. "I have to continue like you don't know anything and you need to do the same. When Grissom calls, then tell me what's going on and I'll be fine with that."

"I promised Gil that I would look after you, Sara, don't keep me from that promise." Brass knew that he couldn't stop her from walking out that door and driving home alone.

"He'll understand," Sara insisted. "He's doing what he thinks is best and I'm doing what I believe is the right thing." She looked at her watch. "I need to be helping Nick and Warrick. I'll keep in touch with you, Jim. Thank you."

Brass watched her leave and knew that he had to do something to keep his promise.

TBC


	9. Chapter 9

Irrefutable

By: Manigault

Thanks to all of you who are reading this story and many thanks to those of you who have reviewed!

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Sara managed to make it through the rest of shift without disruptions. Half expecting Brass to be waiting by her car, she was relieved to see no sign of him and decided that he must have taken her seriously. Sliding into the front seat, she felt the weight of her gun pressing into her back and for the first time since becoming a CSI was happy to have the weapon.

She was so preoccupied with everything that had transpired since the previous shift, she didn't notice the dark blue Chevy that had been keeping a steady distance behind her since pulling out of CSI headquarters. Grissom would be furious with her for not paying better attention. As she entered their neighborhood her senses kicked in and she became aware of each home that she passed, wondering who lived within the walls, and if one of them could be the instigator in this mess.

Pulling into the driveway, she looked in her rearview mirror to be sure nobody was lurking. It was then she noticed the Chevy drive past, its windows tinted so that she couldn't see the driver. A shiver swept along her spine and she tried to make out the tag number. She didn't recognize the car from the neighborhood, but then, she hadn't payed much attention to anyone except Grissom since moving here. Reciting the number in her mind, she decided to write it down when she entered the house.

Sara punched in the number to turn off the alarm, and then immediately punched it back in to provide a sense of security. This was crazy, but Grissom was right, she did feel better having the alarm system. Still, she moved from room to room checking the closets and beneath the beds to make her security complete. Standing in the kitchen, she remembered to write the tag number down and debated on phoning Brass and as quickly dismissed the idea. She would check the tag number out herself when she went into work tonight. That way she wouldn't be putting Brass at risk by getting him more involved than she already had. Brass had been through so much lately, between his surgery and his daughter vanishing again, she should never have told him any of this.

Nibbiling on a multi-grain English muffin, Sara leaned against the counter and let her mind drift back to Grissom. He was forced to spend time with Lady Heather and she couldn't help but wonder if his attraction to her would prove impossible to ignore. Although she trusted him, she didn't trust her and had no idea what was going through her mind. Sara wrapped the rest of the muffin up in a paper towel and moved from the room to her sofa. Curling up, a throw pillow tucked against her stomach, she fell into a restless sleep.

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When Grissom approached Heather, after his phone call with Sara and Brass, he quickly asked her to not speak of his actions once inside the car.

"You think it's bugged." Heather stated without surprise.

"Why take the chance?" Grissom replaced the gas nozzle and gave Heather an unreadable look. "I had to speak with her."

"I didn't say anything."

They were both silent as he pulled back onto the interstate. Several miles later Grissom's cell phone began to ring and a sense of dread gripped his mind.

"Grissom," he said sharply.

"Mr. Grissom," the lunatic spoke with the irritating distorted voice. "How are you and our friend, Lady Heather?"

"Cut the shit," Grissom fumed. "Who are you?"

"We've met, Mr. Grissom. That's all that you need to know."

"Did you call to give us directions?"

"Of course," the lunatic sounded as if he were smiling. "You shouldn't be far from exit 14. If you take that exit and turn right it will lead you to a small hotel. Rest for the evening, Mr. Grissom. I''m sure that you are tired."

"I'm not tired," Grissom clipped out in even tones. "I prefer to keep driving."

"It's not a request, Mr. Grissom, it's a demand. I insist. In fact I've made reservations for you and Lady Heather."

"You phoned in reservations?" There would be records if he did and Grissom would follow the trail.

The chilling laughter made his hope fade. "I made the reservations in person. I'm very good at disguishes so it won't help you to ask for my description."

Grissom decided that he would anyway.

"Oh, and don't try to get two rooms, I plan on checking in with you sometime during the night and I suggest that you both be available."

"What kind of sick games are you playing with us?" Grissom had no desire to spend a night in a hotel room with Heather or any woman other than Sara.

"Sara will be upset, but that's to be expected." The lunatic chuckled. "I wonder how she should find out. She's very beautiful, isn't she?"

"You are insane if you think that you can drive a wedge between myself and Sara." Grissom felt that Sara had been correct in her assumptions that this man was stalking her. The man's next words confirmed it.

"She's upset right now. Sleeping on the sofa, all curled up. She's crying. I think that the thought of you and Lady Heather being together is too much for her to take."

Grissom felt his jaw fall open and his eyes widened. "You have cameras in my house? You are watching Sara in our home?"

"And I thought you were brillant, Mr. Grissom. Sara forgot to turn the alarm on about a month ago, I was fortunate in picking that day to break into your home. It was almost too easy."

Grissom couldn't believe this person had been invading his private life for the past month. His and Sara's private world.

"You have cameras in every room?" Grissom knew the answer before the man spoke.

"Relax, Grissom. I don't care for watching you touch her in any degree. I don't watch you have sexual intercourse."

The choice of words was odd to Grissom, but the context in which they were said was much too clear. "If you harm one hair on Sara's head I will find you."

"Sara threatened the same thing not long ago. It's a shame you are so far apart and you have no clues to finding me. I'm tired of this conversation. I'll call you sometime in the next few hours."

Grissom slammed his fist on the steering wheel, sending the horn blaring into the night. Heather leaned over the seat and put a hand on his shoulder. Pulling away from her, he sent the car into the other lane and was thankful they were the only ones on this stretch of road as he corrected the steering wheel.

"Tell me what he said that upset you," Heather said as she pulled her hand back to her own lap. It took several minutes but he filled her in on the entire conversation. The camera part she had picked up from his side of the conversation.

"I need to talk with Sara," Grissom stared out of the front windshield. "I'm going to call and warn her."

"You can't use the cell phone," Heather argued. "Somehow he knows when you use the cell phone and you don't want to risk him becoming angry."

"He's watching her," Grissom felt his pulse rate increasing rapidly. "Sara needs to know that and find the cameras."

"Gil, you can't call her. If she's using the alarm, then she's safe right now."

"I don't know that." Grissom did know that he wanted to turn the car around and go home to Sara. "I should go back to Vegas."

"You can't do that, Gil, you made a promise to help me get my grandchild." Heather felt a new fear that he would abandon their trail and return to Vegas.

Grissom glanced over at her and grimaced inwardly. He had to warn Sara.

TBC


	10. Chapter 10

Irrefutable

By: Manigault

Note: The lunatic is revealed. Let me know if it was obvious or if there was any surprise? Thanks.

Farfetched? Probably, but then it's fiction so I'm taking some poetic license here. g

Short chapter, but another one will follow soon.

As always, thank you for reading this story and for reviewing!

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It was perfect. His plan was flawless and the exceptional Gil Grissom would not be able to stop him. Leaning back in his desk chair, he stared at the display of monitors that allowed him to have a visual of his subjects.

Grissom and Lady Heather in the car, the one suffering from a severe headache that hit him after their last conversation, and the other concerned that the former would turn the car around and drive back to Vegas.

He wouldn't. Grissom would keep his promise to help Lady Heather.

"What an honorable man," he smirked.

Turning the sound down on that monitor, he focused on another monitor, his favorite, Sara Sidle. He remembered the first time he saw her in the hospital. She was there with a rape victim, a teenage girl. He had been visiting a collegue in the ER and she appeared like a ghost from the past. He had almost called out to her, but common sense had reigned him in at the last second. It wasn't hard to discover who she was, but then, when he realized who she worked with it had been alarming.

The alarm turned to intrigue when he followed Sara Sidle from work and saw who pulled into the garage beside her car. A new obsesssion had taken a grip on him and he spent the next three months planning. He bugged their cars and put the cameras inside both of their cars and the home they shared. The cell phones were trickier. He managed to gain access to both of their phones and from that point on he was invincible. He would destory Grissom and win Sara over to his side. He picked up his phone and dialed a number.

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Grissom was nibbling on her neck, his arms wrapped around her waist as he stroked his fingers along her thighs and---. The sharp ringing of a cell phone broke into his movements and she mumbled for him to let it ring. When he didn't answer, she grumbled something unintelligble as she reached to the nightstand and found her fingers grasping air. Opening one eye she realized she was on the sofa and Grissom wasn't wrapped around her body.

Reality slammed into her chest and she gasped. The phone kept ringing. She stared at it in horror. Picking it up she saw the private number and didn't want to answer. Throwing it back onto the floor where she had left it she made her way to the bathroom and angrily turned the hot and cold water knobs on the tub, adjusting them until the temperature was to her liking.

Closing the door she reached for the radio and turned it up until she could block out the incessant ringing. She couldn't listen to that person right now. She didn't want to hear that distorted voice or the horrific laughter.

Sliding into the tub, she tried to concentrate her thoughts on Grissom and the way he made her feel. She wanted him back. Needed him back. Tears slid silently down her cheeks as she wondered if she would ever have him again.

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She wasn't answering the phone and it outraged him. How dare she ignore him. Gripping his own phone, he watched her relaxing in her bath tub. Another image of a bathroom crept into his mind and he pushed the memory aside. He told himself this was different. _She _was different. In the past months he had followed Sara, watched her when she wasn't inside the CSI building, and she hadn't met with any other men. She joked around with her co-workers, but he knew it was friendly banter. He wasn't insane.

He watched the tears run down her cheeks and his anger lessened, but only slightly. She was distraught because Grissom was with Lady Heather. He left her alone in Vegas to help out the other woman. Sara was the one that was wronged. He wanted to drive to her home and give her comfort. She was better than Grissom deserved. She was a better person than Debbie. Still, he had to teach her a lesson about the cost of ignoring him.

TBC


	11. Chapter 11

Irrefutable

By: Manigault

Thanks for reading this story and many thanks for those who responded!

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Grissom stepped outside of the small hotel room and looked around for a pay phone. He needed to get in touch with Jim, who could relay a message to Sara when she arrived for her shift. He looked at his watch. She should be getting ready for work. The idea of the lunatic watching her pull on her panties and bra made him crazy. The fact that she would feel violated sent spasms of sadness throughout him.

When Grissom checked into the room, he had asked the man on duty if he was the one who had spoken with the person who made the reservations. He wasn't. He then asked when the reservations were made and was informed that there was no record of that and no record of who had taken the reservation. Grissom stared at the young man with disbelief. He was lying. The lunatic must have paid him well to keep his mouth shut.

Grissom couldn't stay in the room with Heather. Motioning to the door he told her that he was taking a walk, and if the lunatic called, well then, that was tough. Ignoring her angry look he left the stifling room and went in search of a pay phone. Desert surrounded the remote motel and there was nothing to be seen in the parking lot except their own car. Defeated, he made his way back to the room where he let himself in and found that Heather appeared to be sleeping in the only double bed.

Easing into one of the chairs, Grissom pulled the second chair over and propped his feet up on the cushioned surface. It wasn't the most comfortable arrangements, but it would suffice, given the situation.

"We're grown ups, Gil, you can come to bed and I promise not to bite you."

Grissom cursed inwardly. He hoped she was asleep and had not heard him enter the room.

"I keep my promises and I made one to never sleep with another woman." Grissom knew this sounded lame, but it was the truth. He and Sara had been living together for less than a month when he asked her if she expected marriage.

_Grinning, Sara nuzzled against his chin and let her fingers trail along his outer thigh_.

_"I expect for you to be faithful to me, Gil," She kissed his bottom lip and gentle sucked. "I don't need a piece of paper to give me that assurance." _

_"What do you need?"_

_"Your word." _

_"I promise to be faithful to you for the rest of my life, Sara Sidle." Grissom wrapped his arms around her and pulled her as close as he could get her body to his own. "I promise to never sleep with another woman." _

_A smile brightened her face and she wrapped one leg around his hip. _

_"Well?" Grissom asked when she was silent. _

_A teasing quirk of her lips turned to laughter as he began to tickle her in all the right spots. _

_"Okay, okay!" Sara turned serious as she pressed small kisses on his jaw. "I promise to be faithful to you, Gil Grissom for the rest of my life." _

_"And?"_

_Grinning once again, Sara declared. "And never allow another man in our bed." _

_"Or sleep with another man." Grissom teased. _

_"I will never sleep with another man." _

Grissom risked a look back over at the bed and found that Heather had turned away from him, her breathing appeared relatively even. The chair was preferable and he was grateful that Heather didn't continue to insist. Placing his phone on the table beside him, he shut his eyes and dreamed of Sara.

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Sara heard the phone ringing as she dressed for work. No longer able to ignore the caller, she reluctantly moved back to the den where she picked up the offending object. Private number.

"Leave me alone." Sara fumed into the phone. Grissom was miles away, but this lunatic was still in town. She could feel it in her gut. "I don't want to talk to you unless you are going to tell me that you are leaving Grissom alone and will never bother us again."

"Sara, honey-."

"Don't you dare call me that!" Sara felt the bile rise in her throat and pushed it back down. "Is Grissom okay?"

"Grissom." His distaste came through loud and clear even if his voice didn't. "Grissom is more than okay. He's in a hotel room with Lady Heather and I'm positive that she will keep him entertained."

Hotel room. With Lady Heather.

"If he is in a room with Lady Heather, then you orchestrated it," Sara said as she picked up her gun and stared at it in newfound respect. "He's sleeping in a chair, I'm positive."

Silence greeted her and she was about to hang up the phone when he laughed. "Your actions say otherwise."

"What did you say?" Sara shook her head and tried to piece what he said together. "My actions?" She looked around her home and shivered at the thought that she could be watched.

"You haven't called him since I insisted that you stop."

Sara felt that he wasn't being honest. There was something to what he said that his explanation didn't answer. Call it a gut feeling, but she suddenly knew that he was watching her and wondered for how long. She couldn't let him know what she suspected.

"I don't want you to hurt Grissom."

"Grissom will leave you for Lady Heather and then you'll be free of him."

Sara felt a spark of relief. If his plan was that Grissom would leave her and not that he wouldn't return to Vegas, then she and Grissom had a chance. When he realized that Grissom would never leave her, then what would he do?

"I need to leave for work." Sara said at last. She didn't know what else to say to this lunatic. He wouldn't answer her questions.

"We'll speak when you get home."

_Home. It was her home. Grissom's home_. She wanted to yell at him not to dare try and imply anything different. Without a word, she hit the end button on her phone and then punched in the alarm code.

TBC


	12. Chapter 12

Irrefutable

By: Manigault

Thank you for sticking with this story, and thanks to those of you who have commented!

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Sara found Warrick in the Trace lab when she arrived for shift that evening. Hesitating for only a second, she gathered her resolve and forced herself to sound normal.

"Hi, Warrick," She felt the need to check on their currrent case before seeking out Brass and searching for the tag number on the Chevy that had driven past her home.

"Hey there, Sara," Warrick returned her greeting without looking up from the microscope.

"Any breaks in our case?"

"No," Warrick waved her over to the microscope. "Take a look at this fiber."

"What fiber is that?"

Sara was uncomfortable as Warrick's chin snapped up and his eyes narrowed on her face.

"What's going on with you?" Warrick asked.

"Don't start on me Warrick. Not today." She had endured the questions and odd looks from both Warrick and Nick yesterday and the sense of it beginning again was alarming.

"Sara, you haven't been yourself lately."

"I asked you what was new with our case. Is that so strange? Have I never asked such an elementary question before Warrick?" She knew that her voice was rising and she was allowing her frustration to seep through.

"Is there a problem here?" Catherine asked from just behind Sara. "I could hear Sara all the way down the hall."

Sara turned at the sound of Catherine's question. "Warrick decided that I'm not being myself. I hadn't realized that I wasn't keeping up with my share of the case or that by my asking if there were any new breaks, I was in someway out of character."

Warrick sighed loudly. "That's not what I meant and you know it. You just haven't been focused. You found some fibers yesterday, bagged it and insisted it was important, and now you act like you've never seen it?"

Sara felt her face heat with embarrassment. Of course she remembered the fibers now, but it had slipped from her mind seconds ago when Warrick mentioned it.

"You want to talk about this Sara?" Catherine asked.

"Not really," Sara didn't want to talk about this with Catherine, Warrick, or anyone other than Brass. If she did then she would confess everything. All discretion would be off.

Catherine turned to Warrick. "Can you do without Sara's help on this case?"

"Catherine, I'm fine." Sara insisted.

"Warrick?" Catherine continued as if she had not spoken.

Warrick shifted nervously but kept his eyes steady. "If Sara needs some time off then Nicky and I will manage."

"I'm standing right here." Sara said through gritted teeth.

"I need you to go with me on a double at a small motel off the strip. Greg's already there and David should be with him as well."

"I guess so," Sara mumbled. What choice did she have? Catherine was the acting supervisor and once she made up her mind there was no changing it.

Warrick met Sara's eyes and smiled slightly. "We're cool?"

"Yeah," Sara knew that Warrick was right concerning her lack of focus. She hadn't been herself and that was going to stop.

Sara was on edge as she and Catherine walked to the parking lot and then drove the sort distance to the strip. She knew that it was a matter of time before the other woman questioned her about what was going on to make her so uncharacteristically unfocused.

Catherine chatted briefly about Lyndsey and teenagers in general. She complained about Grissom leaving her with a stack of paperwork that he somehow avoided like the plague. Sara listened. She made the appropriate comments concerning teens, but when Grissom was brought up she withdrew and turned to stare out of the window.

It was a small, nondescript motel off the strip. Sara was eager to move inside and prove to Catherine and herself that she could focus on the evidence. Focus. She didn't notice the odd look she was receiving from Catherine as the older woman followed her inside the motel and past the officers that were holding back the curious onlookers. Losing a step, Sara searched for the familiar face of Brass before shaking her head slightly and concentrating on the directions one of the officers was giving.

Room 112. Sara heard the room number as they moved past the officers and along the hallway. Vartrann stepped out of a room and spotted her approach, nodding a greeting to her and then to Catherine.

"Apparently the killer phoned headquarters and told the officer that answered what he had done and where the bodies could be found. He used a voice disguisher."

Vartrann stepped aside to allow Catherine to enter as Sara stood transfixed in the hallway staring at him with an odd expression.

"Is there a problem, Sara?"

Sara shook her head as she pushed the coincidence of the use of the device from her mind. It was a coincidence and just that. Greg was still snapping photos as she entered the room and he looked from her to Catherine with a troubled look.

"This is just weird," Greg told them and waited as they moved around the bed until they could see the victims. An older man, late forties to early fifties, lay sprawled on the bed wearing only deep blue boxers. His beard was peppered with gray and there was an air of familiarity about him that made even Catherine step back and gasp.

The woman appeared to be early forties, dyed black hair cut in an Egyptian style, black leather clinging to her lithe frame. She was handcuffed to the man and both appeared to have one commonality---they had red gashes along the base of their throats.

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Grissom's whole body ached. The aroma of coffee met his senses and he jerked awake as an uneasy feeling settled over his mind and he realized that he was not on the floor, and Sara wasn't in his arms.

Looking around, he reminded himself that he was in a hotel room with Heather, and Sara would be working. He pushed the chair back and rubbed the back of his neck as his eyes fell on his cell phone. Suddenly alert, he realized it had never awakened him.

"He failed to check in with us," Heather said from her position at the end of the bed. "Perhaps something has altered his plans."

Grissom thought about the cameras in his house and anger began to creep back inside his mind.

"I would love some hot tea," Heather told him when he continued to glare at the phone as if it were his enemy. "However, we only have coffee that I retrieved from the main office." She indicated the cup of brew that she had placed on the small table near his phone. Cream and sugar sat beside it.

"He has cameras in my home." Grissom said. His eyes moved from the phone to Heather and he gave no indication that he heard her in regards to the coffee. "I need to warn Sara, and the only way I can do that is to call her or return home."

Apprehension stole over Heather as she realized he was seriously on the verge of returning to Vegas, abandoning his agreement to help her find her grandchild. "Gil, if you don't continue with me to L.A. then I may never find out where Chloe's child is."

"He may not ever give you that infomation, Heather. This whole thing may be a ruse to get me away from Vegas and Sara." The more he considered the evidence, the more doubtful he was as to the lunatic intending on Heather finding this child. If not for the DNA information she had shown him, he would never have agreed to going this far.

"The child may not be in L.A." Grissom leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees as he stared at the stained carpet. "If I don't speak with Sara then there is no way I'm going to continue this farce."

"You gave your word to me that you would help me find my grandchild." Heather's statement was accusatory but her voice was unsteady.

Grabbing his phone from the table, Grissom strode to the door and said briskly. "Let's go."

He didn't look to see if Heather was following as he pulled his keys from his pocket and knew there was a decision to be made.

TBC


	13. Chapter 13

Irrefutable

By: Manigault

Thank you for reading this story! Double thanks to those who have commented!

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Sara stared at the pair in unmasked horror. If she didn't know Grissom so well, then she would have sworn it was him in the bed with a look alike Lady Heather. If the scene left no doubt as to who did this to the couple, then her ringing cell phone and the pleased voice on the other end confirmed it.

"Did you get my message Sara? Don't ignore me again."

The lunatic hung up but Sara still clutched the phone to her ear and stared at the victims as she slowly became aware of the concerned looks of both Catherine and Greg.

"Sara, you okay? I can process the scene if you need to go back to the lab." Greg told her with geniune concern.

Catherine, who had regained her composure after the first look at the victims, braced her shoulders and shook her head. "Sara will be fine. Isn't that right, Sara?"

Replacing the phone on her hip, Sara squared her own shoulders and nodded. "Let's nail this bastard." She wasn't one to cower in terror or stand back while some nut ran havoc in her life. She was fighting back.

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Grissom had not taken a step from the hotel room when his phone began ringing.

"Grissom." His voice was clipped as he spoke into the phone, and he answered without looking at the name of the caller. He suspected who it would be and was caught off guard when it wasn't.

"Gil, where are you?"

"Catherine? What's wrong?" His heart leapt to his throat as thoughts of Sara spun around his mind.

"You won't believe this case we have." She went on to describe the scene and then the astonishment of how much the victims resembled himself and Heather. "We're back at the lab and I had to give you a heads up on this. I don't think it's a coincidence."

"Who is working the case with you?" Grissom knew the answer before it was confirmed.

"Sara and Greg," Catherine told him. She leaned back in Grissom's chair and rubbed her forehead as the image of the crime scene played in her mind. "Sara is back to her usual driven self. She's deteremined to solve this one. It reminds me of that Debbie Marlin case and how obsessed you were with it."

Grissom almost stumbled over his own feet as Catherine made this comment. Debbie Marlin. "How were these victims murdered?"

"Knife. Throat slashed. Weapon found at scene and of course there were no prints."

"Surgical knife?" Grissom asked.

"No. A kitchen knife. A typical knife that you can buy in any Walmart." Catherine processed the meaning behind his question and she sat up straight. "You think there could be a connection?"

"It may be far fetched and rather stupid on his part but he's arrogant enough to think that he could taunt us and get away with it."

"He got away with it before," Catherine mused.

If Lurie was the one responsible for all of this then he would know about this conversation and realize they were on to him. Lurie. That was one name he had pushed to the back of his subconcious. The nightmares that man had caused in his life.

"Catherine, I can't talk about this right now."

"Where are you Gil? I think that you need to come to the lab and help solve this one." Catherine couldn't help but wonder if the way Sara had been behaving recently had anything to do with the fact that Lady Heather had been to see Grissom on the same day he called out.

Grissom hesitated before opening his car door and decided at this point he had to send a warning to Sara, even if the lunatic knew. "Catherine, is Sara nearby?"

"She's with David and Al," Catherine said. "Do you want me to ask her to call you?"

He wanted nothing more than for Sara to call him. "Don't let her go anywhere alone, Catherine, promise me that? Don't let her go home and don't leave her by herself."

"Gil? What are you not telling me?" Catherine's internal alarm system was firing on all levels.

"I can't say anything else at this time," Grissom heard a beep that indicated an incoming call and added quickly. "You'll do this, Cath?"

"I'll try. You know how Sara is, but I'll try my best."

Catherine wanted to ask more questions, but the connection was lost.

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Grissom pressed a button and the phone began ringing immediately. Glaring, he vowed that when this was over he was going to take Sara on a vacation someplace far away where there were no cell phones.

"Grissom."

"You've been busy, Mr. Grissom."

"So have you, Doctor." Grissom decided there was no point in playing coy. Neither man was that unintelligent.

The laughter that spilled over the wire was unnerving, but Grissom set his jaw and kept his cool.

"You have it all figured out, don't you Mr. Grissom? You can't prove anything and you can't protect Sara from me. You have a choice now. You can continue to L.A. and I'll tell you where the child is located, or you can return to Vegas and the opportunity will be gone. Oh, and if you still choose to return to Vegas then you will be returning to a different type of crime scene. You can't protect Sara."

"If I keep driving to L.A. then you'll leave her alone?"

"She'll live."

"You_ are _Lurie?" Grissom knew in his gut who this man was, but he wanted it confirmed.

"I'm your worst nightmare, Grissom, that's all you need to know. You can give me any name you like."

The line was disconnected. Grissom leaned against his car and tried desperately to control his pulse rate. No matter who the man was, he didn't trust him and couldn't trust that Sara would be left unharmed no matter what decision he made.

"What was all that about?" Heather asked from beside him. "You know who the person is that has my grandchild and is threatening you and your lover?"

"A living nightmare, that's what he is."

TBC


	14. Chapter 14

Irrefutable

By: Manigault

Thanks for hanging in there with this story! I appreciate each and every comment! Thank you.

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"It was creepy," Greg told Warrick and Nick as they sat around the table in the break room. He had described the scene in the motel room and they had stared back at him as if he made up the entire tale. "I'm serious!" Greg defended himself as the looks of his friends remained disbelieving.

"So, an older man and a leather clad woman are murdered in a motel room and you jump to conclusions," Nick said. Picking up his sandwich he bit into it and shook his head. Greggo was obsessed with Grissom's love life.

Sara stepped into the room and motioned for Greg.

"I need your help."

Warrick leaned back in his chair and exchanged a look with Nick. If Greg was telling the truth, then Sara would know and be honest with them.

"Sara? Is it true what-"

"It's okay, guys, really!" Greg shot them a warning glare as he hurried towards Sara. "Let's go, Sara."

Holding back, Sara looked from him to the table where Nick and Warrick were sitting, wearing dazed expressions. "I take it Greg informed you of our case?"

Warrick narrowed his eyes. "One of the victim's looks like Grissom? You think that it's a coincidence?"

"It's no coincidence," Sara told them. "Listen, I can't explain right now. Later?"

Nick put his sandwich down and turned to Warrick who was still watching the doorway where Sara had left minutes before. "I wonder if this is connected with the way Sara was behaving on the past shift?"

"Our case is closed," Warrick said and then suggested with a new determination. "I think we should pay a visit to Doc Robbins."

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Pressure was building in her chest as she moved through the motions of processing this case. She was determined to stop this psycho before he could harm Grissom in the manner he had the motel victims.

The male victim now had a name, William Richards. His wallet had been found on the nightstand with his license tucked inside the fold. The female victim was still unknown.

Doc Robbins had presented them with some interesting facts regarding both victims. That's why she had pulled Greg, to have him try to find some answers.

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Al Robbins glanced up as Warrick and Nick entered the room. He had turned back several curious lab personnel already that evening and was preparing to snap another aburpt 'out' when he saw the two investigators.

"Have a look," Robbins gestured towards the man who was on his table. "I suppose you've heard the rumors."

"Greg." Nick informed him as he and Warrick approached.

Warrick walked around the table and studied the victim with a skeptical eye. "I don't think that he is the spitting image of Grissom."

"Imagine him with a beard," Robbins suggested.

"He had a beard?" Nick questioned.

"Fake."

"Where is it?" Warrick tilted his head to the side and stared at the victim. He could see the resemblance and knew that it must have been something of a shock for Sara and Catherine to find the victims in the motel.

"Sara has it," Robbins said, and then added thoughtfully, "I recall her mumbling something about having Greg do some research on fake beards and wigs."

"Wigs?" Warrick asked.

Robbins motioned to the next table where the female was located. "Egyptian style wig."

Warrick and Nick walked over to the next table. The strawberry blond on the table didn't hit any recognition nerves, but the cut that ran from one side of her neck to the other made them both cringe.

Nick frowned and looked over at Warrick who returned his stare and nodded.

"See you later, Doc," Warrick said.

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Catherine met Brass in the hallway outside of his office and quickly gestured for him to follow her back inside.

"I spoke with Gil and informed him of this case."

"You called him on his cell?" Brass asked curtly.

Narrowing her eyes on him, Catherine confirmed that she had called him on his cell phone. "Gil seems to think that our suspect could be Doctor Lurie. Do you remember that case?"

"Lurie?" Brass tried to process this new information. He could never forget that specific case and how similar the victim was to Sara, nor how obsessed Grissom had been on proving Lurie was the killer. Grissom's small speech to Lurie in the interrogation room had left him with more insight into Grissom than he had gleamed in years of knowing the man.

"The victims were killed with a surgical knife." Catherine prompted.

"I remember." Brass said. He shook his head and pointed out that it wasn't a surgical knife used on these two victims. "Why would Gil think this case could be connected to the Marlin case?"

"Aside from the fact that the victims look similar to Gil and Lady Heather? Or, perhaps the fact that they were killed in similar ways? Granted, the man wasn't cut into pieces, but then he would want him to be found so he left him posed on the bed."

Brass eased onto the edge of his desk and considered this new infomation. "Is Sara aware of this?"

"She's working the case." Catherine placed her hands on each hip and gave him a hard stare. "What are you not telling me, Jim?"

With a shrug, Brass shook his head. "I was curious."

"There's more to it than that, but I'll let it go for now," Catherine said.

"Do we have enough evidence against Lurie to bring him in for questioning?"

"We have _no_ evidence against him. It's all speculation."

Brass frowned at the implication. "We need to keep an eye on him."

Without another word, Brass pushed away from his desk and walked towards the doorway.

"Hey! Where are you going?" Catherine asked.

"I need to speak with Sara." Brass offered no other explanation as he left his office and went in search of Sara.

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Sara was concentrating on finding the specific knife that was used to kill the two individuals and did not hear Warrick or Nick approach. When Nick touched her elbow, she almost jumped out of her skin.

"Nick!"

"I'm sorry, Sara, but we announced ourselves and you never replied." Nick smiled apologetically and Sara's tension ebbed.

"I didn't hear you," she turned back to the weapons and scowled.

"We're here to help you find who did this," Warrick said picking up one of the knives. "Tell us what we can do and we're on it."

"Don't you have your own case to solve?" Sara was touched by their concern, but she didn't want them to neglect their own victims.

"Case closed," Nick told her with a grin, "_we're that good_. So use us."

Sara looked from one serious face to the other and blinked back her gratitude. She wanted them to help her bring Grissom home and right now catching this killer was the only way she knew to do that.

"We know who the male victim is, but we don't have know about the female." Sara told them, only to have Nick pick up her train of thought.

"I'm on it."

Sara watched him start to leave the room and called out to him.

"Thanks, Nick."

Turning to Warrick, she shrugged. "I can use some help identifying the type of knife that was used."

"It was not a clean cut, we know that much," Warrick mused.

"You saw the victims?" Sara asked the question, but wasn't really surprised with his answer.

"We had to see for ourselves." Warrick's reply wasn't defensive. It was stated as a fact and Sara could appreciate the honesty.

"Warrick? I need to tell you something-." Sara's urge to confide in Warrick was short lived as Brass strode into the room.

"I need to speak with you, Sara."

Warrick nodded at Sara and smiled gently. "We'll talk when your ready. I'll work on this while you chat with Brass."

For the second time in minutes, Sara was thanking one of her old friends for his help and wondering why she and Grissom had kept their relationship secret from the few people she throughly trusted.

TBC


	15. Chapter 15

Irrefutable

By: Manigault

Thanks to those reading this! Many many thanks to those who reply-it keeps me focused!

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It was too soon. He hadn't intended on killing the moron Richards and his mistress for another few days, but his anger at being ignored by Sara had driven him to push his plans forward. Now Grissom knew who he was and people from his lab suspected who he was and would be nosing around.

A tight smile spread over his face as he stared at the monitor that showed Grissom and Lady Heather driving on a fruitless search for the dominatrix's grandchild. This whole situation had to be driving Grissom wild with fear and worry.

"What's really driving you mad, Grissom, is that you have less evidence on me this time than you had the first time." His smile faltered as he recognized his own loss of reality in that he was talking aloud to these monitors. He realized that this was becoming more common as he watched one and waited for the others to come alive. Sara was at work and he had failed to put any cameras in her work place, a fact that drove _him_ insane, not knowing what she was doing or who she was with.

Picking up his phone, he decided it was time to send another message.

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The phone was ringing. Private name. _Ignore it, _Sara told herself She caught Brass's eye and he nodded at the phone. Frowning, she pushed a button and held the phone to her ear and waited.

"Sara? How are you?"

Gripping the phone tightly, Sara shook her head in disgust. "How do you think I'm doing? You killed two innocent people. You have threatened me and my-," Sara hesitated and struggled to regain control of her emotions. "You've threatened _Grissom_." She couldn't keep the contempt from her voice as she avoided looking at Brass.

"I'm concerned that your overdoing yourself, Sara," the man continued as if she had not mentioned Grissom's name. "It would be best if you return home and get some rest. I insist."

"You're crazy," Sara told him as she pulled the phone away from her ear and clicked the off button. Staring at Brass, she swallowed hard and said defensively, "I can't listen to his dribble, Jim. He insisted that I go home immediately to rest! Can you believe his audacity?"

Brass nodded grimly. "Unfortunately, I can, considering we believe that we know who the man is."

Sara's eyes widened. "You know who this is? Who is he? Are you bringing him in?"

Brass glanced around the break room before filling her in on his conversation with Catherine and _her_ conversation with Grissom.

"Catherine spoke with Grissom?" Sara folded her arms protectively over her chest as she tried to sort through the information that Brass had given her in the last few minutes. Lurie. She remembered the last time she had seen the man who had murdered his lover, Debbie Marlin, and the affect the whole case had on Grissom. She had tried to bring it up with Grissom once, after they were together, but he had shut down and withdrawn inside himself. He didn't want to talk about the past.

"We don't have enough evidence on him to bring him in," Brass admitted with a heavy sigh. "I'm working on phone records and trying to get an order to discover the identity of the private numbers that keep ringing your phone and Grissom's."

Another sharp ringing split the air, but this time it belonged to Brass. His eyebrows arched significantly when he read the name of the incoming caller.

"Gil? I thought you were being careful not to use your cell."

Sara was on full alert when she heard Grissom's name. She eagerly watched as Brass gave a small grin and handed the phone into her eager hands.

"Griss? Wha-?"

"I took my phone apart and found the bug. I don't know how the bastard got hold of our phones, but I'm tired of playing his games." Grissom had taken apart his phone when they made another pit stop to get water and use the restroom. There was no payphone available and in desperation and anger he had taken it upon himself to free his phone from unwanted ears.

"I need to do the same thing," Sara said. She internally kicked herself for not doing so earlier and vowed that when she returned home she would search the place for every camera.

"Honey, I need to tell you something."

"Jim already told me who you think this madman is."

"No, that's not what I need to warn you about," Grissom took a deep breath and prepared himself for Sara's reaction. "Our home has cameras in it. Somehow, Lurie, if it is Lurie, was able to get inside and place them over a month ago."

Sara felt sick at this revelation, but unsurprised. "I thought so," she replied and then added softly, "I suspected as much from something he said today and had just decided to tear the place apart to find the cameras when I get home."

"No!" Grissom's heart lurched at the thought of Sara going back inside their home while Lurie was a free man. "Sara, don't do that until we have him in custody. Promise me?"

"Why not? Obviously, if it is Lurie then he knows that we're on to him. I'm not going to give him the satisfaction of parading around our home for his pleasure." Her body shuddered at the thought of exactly what this lunatic had witnessed over the past month.

Seeming to pick up on her emotions, Grissom sighed softly over the line. "Once we have him in custody, once we have evidence to put him away for the rest of his life, then we will take the proper equipment in and tear the place apart. For now, I decided that I need to come home. We'll have a much easier time finding Heather's grandchild from Vegas, than driving on what I've now decided is a fruitless journey."

Relief mixed with happiness spilled over Sara and she felt a tear slip down her cheek. Swiping it away with the back of one hand, she smiled for the first time since this nightmare began. "Thank you, Griss. Be careful, okay? And, please come straight to the lab? You can assure Heather that we'll help her find where this grandchild is."

Sara didn't care for the woman for various reasons, but she couldn't blame her for once having an attraction to Grissom. What sane woman wouldn't be attracted to him?

"He'll be upset when he knows I've debugged my phone, but that's too bad." Grissom said with a newfound sense of purpose. He felt such a load lift from his shoulders when he spoke with Sara and informed her of the decision to return home.

"Be careful," Sara echoed again as a sense of foreboding crept over her mind. She turned away from Brass and said softly. "I love you."

"I love you too," Grissom told her before clicking off the line. With the first smile on his face since this insanity began, he turned to return to the car and found himself face to face with a revolver.

TBC


	16. Chapter 16

Irrefutable

By: Manigault

Thanks so much for reading this story! Thanks to those of you who have responded with comments!

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Grissom found himself face to face with a revolver and a very calm, yet extremely angry Lady Heather. Pointing the weapon at his chest, she smiled tightly. "We're not returning to Vegas. Not until I find my grandchild."

"You're not thinking rationally, Heather. I promise that I've not given up on helping you find him, but we've been going about it the wrong way." Grissom realized as he spoke that she wasn't listening to him and at some point had passed the point of rationality.

"I know that we've been informed to drive to LA, not return to Vegas." Heather said with chilling calmness.

"Put that gun away, Heather, you won't shoot me."

"Don't test me on this Gil," Heather told him as sadness enveloped her voice, "Chloe was all that I had and now I only have her child."

"If we return to Vegas then we can work on collecting evidence on Lurie and find your grandchild," Grissom said urgently.

"No. You only care about protecting your lover," Heather waved the gun and pulled the trigger back.

Grissom took a deep breath and glanced around the gas station for witnesses. Nobody. They were alone. When he looked back at Heather, she had managed to calm her anger once again, but her eyes were unreadable.

"We'll drive on to LA," she demanded.

Grissom's eyes flickered to the gun and he took a step forward, his hand stretched out towards the offending object.

Heather stepped back.

"Don't!"

"Heather, stop!" Grissom used the safe word that had shocked her out of her last transgression.

With a soft shake of her head, Heather allowed a tight smile to curl around the edge of her lips. "That won't work this time, Gil, I'm not the same person."

"You are the same person," he insisted. "Put the gun away, Heather, and we'll discuss this like two sane adults."

"I was living my life in denial," she said without lowering the gun, "Zoe was everything and I pretended she was away at school, that she was safe."

The sadness in her eyes turned to pain as she recalled Zoe and the pain that had engulfed her again when she met a man that told her he knew where the grandchild was and would tell her if she did what he asked. Zoe's child. She hadn't believed that the child had survived. He had no proof to show her and she believed him anyway. She needed to believe him.

Grissom wouldn't accept her word, not without evidence, so she had contrived the DNA information. It had worked and he agreed to help her find him. The call from the man he called Lurie didn't hurt either.

Staring at the man she respected, and could have cared for deeply given different circumstances, she wondered if she could pull the trigger and what it would solve.

"He won't give me the information I need if we return to Vegas. This is something that you can't begin to understand, Gil, because you don't have children."

Grissom visibly shuddered as she spoke those words. "Heather, I don't need to have children to understand how much you want a part of Zoe to hold on to. But, this man, this killer, he's lying to you. Trust me."

"I can't," Heather said curtly. She kept the gun on him as her sadness turned back into determination. "You'll keep driving to LA."

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"We have more information on this Richards," Brass told Catherine and Sara as they sat in the conference room. Looking from one investigator to the other he decided to lay it out on the table. "It appears our male victim works in the same hospital as Dr. Lurie."

"They know each other?" asked Catherine, sitting up in her chair with an excited expression.

"It's a hospital," Brass said with a slight shrug. "I know that the two men have worked together in the OR. Richards was a scrub nurse."

"Lurie noticed the resemblance to Grissom," said Sara with a tired smile. "Richards was unlucky because of his physical appearance and now this."

Without conscious thought of who was present, Sara began to pry apart her cell phone looking for the bug.

"Sara? What are you doing?" asked Catherine.

Sara's eyes flew up to meet Catherine's curious look and she found herself at a loss of words. Shooting a pleading look over at Brass, she berated herself for being so careless and then wondered why it mattered at this point. Habit. That was the only thing she could think of as she faced Catherine again.

"I've been receiving phone calls from this man, the same one that killed those people," Sara took a deep breath and organized her thoughts, "he has my phone bugged, my car, cameras in my home."

Catherine gasped at this latest revelation. "He told you that he has cameras in your home? For how long?"

Sara kept her gaze steady and locked on Catherine's face. "Grissom told me, after the man taunted him with the fact."

Confusion swept over Catherine as she looked between Sara and Brass and back to Sara. "One of you want to explain everything to me? I have the feeling that I've been kept in the dark for much too long."

Brass raised both eyebrows and looked questioningly over at Sara who gave him a slight nod.

"We don't know if this is Lurie, but if it is, then somehow the man has seen her and become transfixed. He's been calling Sara for the past two days and using a voice disguisher," Brass hesitated,not wanting to give up Grissom and Sara's relationship.

"And how did Grissom come in contact with this man?" Catherine recalled her brief conversation with Grissom and his concern for Sara and the pieces of the puzzle began coming together, but she needed to hear it from Sara.

"The lunatic somehow found out about Lady Heather and her missing grandchild and is putting Grissom in the position of helping her find him, by driving to LA." Sara squared her shoulders and added firmly, "he also was told that if he didn't help him then I would be in danger."

"So, as we speak Grissom is driving to LA with Lady Heather and possibly into a trap?" asked Catherine.

"Grissom told me that he is on his way back," Sara couldn't keep the relief from her voice and was aware of Catherine's watchful eyes. She looked back at the phone and found the object which she had been searching. Holding it up for their inspection, she silently questioned Brass.

"I've wracked my brain and can't think of a time when he could have gotten hold of my phone," she hesitated and her eyes flicked over to Catherine's, "or Grissom's."

"I've wondered that myself," said Brass.

"Grissom's phone is also bugged?" Guilt spread thorughout Catherine's tone. "I could have alerted Lurie to the fact that we know we suspect him."

"If Grissom spoke with you then he knew the risk," said Sara. "I'm just relieved that he's on his way home."

Brass stood up and reached for his jacket that was draped over the back of his chair.

"I'm going to the hospital to speak with a few people, including Doctor Lurie."

Standing abruptly, Sara made to follow him when he stopped her with a sharp look.

"I'm going with you, Jim, I need to do this," insisted Sara.

"Well, I'm not being left out of this party," Catherine added as she moved to stand beside Sara as she gave Brass a reassuring smile.

Brass looked at the two stubborn women and shook his head, but said with a seriousness they each felt.

"If this is Lurie then he's gone over the deep end and there is no guessing the level of his madness. Stick together."

Sara had no intention of letting either Brass or Catherine out of her sight.

TBC


	17. Chapter 17

Irrefutable chapter 17

By: Manigault

Thanks for everyone who is reading this story and for those who have reviewed! My apologies for the long time between chapters. RL.

It was brought to my attention that I misnamed LH's daughter. It should be Zoe and not Chloe. At least I rhymed g . My appreciation for the information. I changed the name in the last chapter. Thank you.

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Grissom thought about walking forward and taking the gun from her unsteady hands. He didn't think that she would shoot him, but the wild look in her eyes made him doubt himself and he couldn't take the risk.

"Let me call Sara and let her know that I'm not heading back home," he said as he reached for his phone, only to be stopped by Heather's angry words.

"Drop the phone, Gil."

A new fear stole over Grissom as he stared between her and the only direct link he had with Sara. "I'll put it back in my pocket."

"No." Heather shook her head.

"It's our link to the man who has your grandchild," Grissom hoped this reasoning would filter through her confused mind.

It appeared to have an impact as she pondered his words and relented with a heavy frown. "When we get to the car, I want you to put the phone in the center of the seat."

His relief was short lived as he mulled over his options while walking towards the car with Heather trailing behind him, the gun trained on his back. He could jump in the car and take off before she could move around to the passenger seat. He could spin around and try to knock the gun from her hands.

Heather appeared to have read his mind because she told him to open the back door first and leave it open so that she could climb in behind him while he drove. Grissom opened the door and looked towards the gas station for any sign of witnesses. They were alone.

"Toss the phone on the backseat," she ordered with a flick of her head.

Sliding into the drivers seat, he felt the weight of his fears settle with heaviness on his shoulders. An image of Sara popped into his mind as he turned the ignition. He hoped she was safe.

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Glancing at her watch, Sara was counting the hours before Grissom would be safely back in the lab where she could see him with her own eyes. Within thirty minutes of arriving at the hospital they had been informed that Lurie had taken a six month leave of absence. He had three months to go on his leave.

After interviewing several people who knew Richards, they could find nobody who could remember seeing the two men interact and no connection between the men other than the OR.

Turning to Brass, Sara said with resignation.

"We'll have to go to his home and interview him."

Catherine's eyes widened and Brass scowled with frustration.

"I'll go interview the man and take Vartrann," he glanced at Catherine for support. "I don't want to feed into Lurie's sickness by bringing you into his home."

Narrowing her eyes, Sara studied him with a small prick of indignation. "I'm not going to go off on him, Jim, if that's what you are afraid of."

"You have to admit that you have a quick temper, Sara, and frankly I wouldn't blame you in this case." Brass held up his hand and tried his best to make her see reason in this circumstance. "I don't want to be responsible for taking you into his home where something could happen to you. Grissom would never forgive me."

Catherine nodded her agreement, "I don't like the idea of you walking into his home, Sara. I'll go with Jim."

Shaking her head, Sara made a quick decision not to push the issue. Grissom would be arriving back at the lab soon and they would work on this case together. "Fine, I'll return to the lab and tackle the evidence."

"We''ll give you a ride back to the lab and then head out to Lurie's place," offered Brass, unable to hide the relief from his voice.

"The lab is in the opposite direction," protested Sara giving him that cynical look she had perfected over the years.

"You can't take a cab," Brass protested with a wry grin.

"Sophia is still here, isn't she?" When Brass nodded, she continued, "then I'll catch a ride back to the lab with her." Sophia had met them at the hospital, along with Vartrann.

Pulling his cell from his pocket, Brass dialed a number and spoke to the detective on the other end. Turning back to Sara, he gave a short nod. "Sophia will meet you right here. Please don't leave this area."

"I'll be fine, Jim," Sara gave him a warm smile, her previous irritation melting with the knowledge that he had her best interest in heart.

"Maybe we should wait with you," Brass had a bad feeling about letting Sara out of his sight, but Catherine tugged him gently on his sleeve.

"Sara is a big girl, Jim, she'll be okay."

"Thanks Cath," Sara did appreciate the trust the older woman showed in her ability to protect herself. "I'm more concerned about the two of you walking into Lurie's home. Watch your backs."

Once she was alone, Sara pulled out her cellphone and dialed Grissom to check on his progress back to Vegas. His voice mail picked up and she left a brief message, worry tugging at her mind as she added a quick, "love you."

A clearing throat brought her attention around behind her where she found Sophia staring at her with a curious expression. "I didn't know you were involved with someone, Sara."

Pushing the annoyance to the back of her mind, Sara forced a casualness to her tone. It would only be a matter of time before everyone knew who she was involved with, but not today.

"I like my private life, private."

With a thoughtful smile, Sophia nodded. "I understand."

Walking out of the hospital and to her car, Sophia studied the other woman with a practiced eye. Sara had been different for the past year or more and several times the thought occurred to her that she was involved with someone.

Sara was aware that she was being examined like one of Grissom's bugs, but she pushed the feeling aside and walked around to the passenger side door. Neither Sara, nor Sophia, were aware of the watchful eyes of the man sitting in his silver Mercedes not twenty feet away.

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Lurie taped his fingers on his steering wheel and deliberated about his next step. He watched as Captain Brass and the older woman who had entered the hospital with Sara left the hospital. He was wondering if Sara left through a different door.

She left with someone else that he didn't recognize and he smiled to himself. She was afraid to be alone. He was certain of it. He watched her climb into the car and stare out of the window in his direction. His hands stopped tapping and he froze. Did she recognize him? He forced himself to glance at his watch as if he were waiting for someone and all the time wondered what she was thinking. Risking a glance back in her direction, he realized the car with Sara in it, was gone.

TBC


	18. Chapter 18

Irrefutable

By: Manigault

Thanks to those who are reading this story! Thank you also for your patience. I've had some computer difficulties and have been unable to post anything new for awhile.

Thanks for those who left reviews on the previous chapters!

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Sara pulled her cell phone out and dialed Brass, her fingers shaking as they dialed the number.

"Lurie is at the hospital," Sara said as soon as he answered. "He was in a silver Mercedes and I caught him watching me after I got into the car with Sophia."

Sara listened to Brass's sharp intake of breath. "Your sure it was Lurie?"

"Of course I'm sure," Sara bristled. She had relived that scene in the interrogation room over and over, Grissom's confession of sorts and Lurie's expression. Frowning to herself, Sara pushed back the thought that her concentration had been on Grissom, not Lurie, and therefore she hadn't paid as much attention to the killer that got away. She had a good memory, though, and she was certain that it was Lurie that was in that car watching her.

Maybe. He had looked at his watch and then not glanced back over at her as Sophia started the car. Maybe it wasn't him. Watching her rearview mirror for any sign of the Mercedes she wondered if she had told Brass the truth. "Jim, maybe you should check for him at his house," she said with a sigh.

"We're pulling into his driveway now," Brass turned the ignition off and stared up at the impressive house. Turning to Catherine after assuring Sara they would call with any new information he said calmly, "I've never understood why one person must live in a house that could hold fifteen."

Rolling her eyes good naturedly, Catherine opened her door and shot over her shoulder, "some people need space."

Brass's hmmph resounded behind her and she laughed softly as the two of them approached the front door. Pressing the doorbell, they waited for several minutes, taking turns pressing the doorbell as they stepped back and proceeded to peer through the windows.

"He's not home," Catherine said after ten minutes elapsed.

"Or he's refusing to answer the doorbell," grumbled Brass wondering if the man Sara had seen outside the hospital was indeed Lurie. "We'll have to come back later and try to catch him at home."

"We need a search warrant," Catherine said as she stared at the house and scowled at the impressive home. What secrets were hiding behind this door? Catherine turned away and started walking back towards Brass's car, the older man following more slowly, reluctant to leave without answers.

Catherine had the passenger door open when she caught sight of a silver Mercedes spinning around the corner and coming towards them at a rapid clip. "Sara must have seen Lurie."

Brass followed the direction of her gaze and watched as the Mercedes pulled into the driveway and rolled gently up beside Catherine.

Lurie sat for several seconds and stared out of the window at the intruders. He had expected them, but not right now. He didn't want to talk to anyone right now. His mind was focused on Sara and the need to settle into his office in front of his monitors. He wanted to talk with Sara, not these two idiots.

Opening the cars door, he swung his lanky legs onto the concrete driveway as he mentally prepared himself to face the barrage of questions that would be aimed at him by Captain Brass. He remembered him well from the time in his life when Grissom was trying to send him away for murder. He couldn't keep the smirk from showing as he approached the wary individuals who were hoping to catch him at something illegal. What proof did they have? Nothing, Lurie thought to himself as he made no attempt to shake their hands.

"Why are you on my property, Captain Brass? Is this a social call or do I need to phone my lawyer?"

Catherine rolled her eyes and decided to allow Brass the explanation, especially when she wanted nothing more than to slap the smirk from his face and demand to know why he was targeting her friends.

Brass remained calm as a similar thought swept through his mind. The fact was they had no proof that Lurie was involved with this situation and unless they found something then they were in worse shape than they had been during the Marlin Case.

"We have a simple question for you," Brass said wanting to make Lurie squirm with his words.

"I'm doing fine, thank you." Lurie replied with a sardonic smile as he took note of the awkard situation Brass found himself in.

Catherine narrowed her eyes on the man and decided not to wait for Brass. "Do you know a man by the name of William Richards?"

"I'm supposed to know this man? The name doesn't ring any bells so if I know him it must be in passing, certainly not a patient of mine."

"He worked as an OR assistant with you on several cases," Brass interjected as both he and Catherine watched Lurie's eyes for any sign of recognition. The man could act, Brass decided. He didn't blink an eyelid as they studied him.

"I work with many OR assistants and honestly I don't know them all by name. I would recognize his face, I'm sure, although I don't know how that would help."

"If we could step inside with you, then I'll show you a picture of the victim." Brass knew this sounded weak, but they needed to get inside Lurie's home.

"You can show me the picture right here," Lurie countered. It was obvious he wouldn't allow them inside his house and Brass reluctantly pulled the photograph from the folder he held in his hand.

With a quick glance, Lurie nodded. "I recognize him, but we didn't socialize. If that's all? I have someplace that I need to be and although I appreciate the personal house call I'm sorry that I can't be of service."

Without a backward look, Lurie walked away from them and up to his front door where he was quick to enter the house and shut the door.

"That was pointless," Catherine muttered.

"At least he knows that he's on our radar," Brass said with a sour smile as they climbed back inside the car and he picked up his phone. "Maybe that will buy us some time to discover something that will nail him."

"At least Grissom is on his way home," said Catherine as she snapped her seatbelt in place with a click. "I don't know what the man was thinking going off on a wild goose chase with Lady Heather."

"You and me both."

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"We have nothing to connect Lurie with these murders," Sara fumed, her eyes sliding from the report Warrick showed her on the victims, to the concerned man himself.

"Sara? Are you positive Lurie is behind this?" asked Warrick.

"No," Sara admitted with a sigh. Picking up the cell phone she had placed on the table while she was poring over the little bit of information they had collected, she pressed one number and waited for Grissom to answer his phone. The ringing faded into his voice mail and the alarming sensation that he was in trouble and her frustration reached a new limit.Standing up she began to pace the room in angry strides as she ran one hand through her hair and gripped her cell phone in the other.

Slamming the phone on the counter she glared at it as if it was the offensive object that kept her from connecting with Grissom. "I'm worried about him." She didn't realize she had spoken aloud until she heard Warrick clear his throat and ask softly.

"Who? Grissom?"

Pulling her eyes from the phone she looked over at Warrick and nodded while trying her best to keep the tears that were beginning to pool in her eyes from slipping over and running down her face.

"He's supposed to be on his way back here and he isn't answering his phone."

"Where is Grissom?" asked Nick, who had stepped inside the room and witnessed the exchange between Sara and Warrick.

Sara looked between the two men and decided it was time to come completely clean. They deserved to know the entirity of the situation they were trying to help with. Taking a deep breath, she began, "He's with Lady Heather."

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Grissom glanced into the rear view mirror and noted that Heather's eyes were drooping. Hoping she would nod off, he decided to keep silent and simply drive, reasoning with her in this state of mind was next to impossible.

Shaking her head, Heather tried to keep her eyes wide open and not slip into the comfort of the sleepiness that was trying to claim her body. The ringing of the cell phone jolted her from her relaxed state and she grabbed for the object with relief.

With a glance at the caller id, she scowled at the watchful eyes in the rearview mirror. "Your lover is calling yet again," she tossed the phone back onto the seat and smiled thinly, "I should thank her for jarring me back to alertness." She narrowed her eyes and observed. "If your waiting for me to fall asleep then you can put that hope out of your mind, Gil, because I'm not going to sleep until we find my grandchild."

"You may be awake for years then, Heather." Grissom felt no elation with that fact, and tried to suppress the sharp disappointment of not being able to pick up the phone and hear Sara's voice. She was probably frantic with worry about him, not knowing why he hadn't been in touch.

"It shouldn't take years to reach LA," Heather retorted with a smirk. Fingering the gun in her lap, she asked with sudden interest. "Why do you fear this Lurie so much?"

Grissom bristled at the words.

"I don't fear him," he said firmly.

"On the contrary, you are terrified that he's the man who has his sights on your lover." Heather stared into the eyes of the man who peered at her in the rearview mirror.

"Lurie is a psychopath," Grissom said after a long pause where she thought he wouldn't respond. "He brutally murdered an innocent woman because she left him for another man." Grissom went on to give a detailed account of the murderes and how Lurie had disposed of the woman's lover. "He's a madman."

"You couldn't proove any of this?" Heather had been sickened by the description of the murders and what this could imply for her own grandchild, if indeed the child was in the hands of this man.

Grissom scowled into the rearview mirror and felt a desire to bring the car to a sudden stop on the highway. He refrained from the urge and instead bit out a short reply.

"No."

Satisfied with this answer, Heather settled back in the seat and rubbed the gun's smooth surface. "Then you have no way of knowing if he was the killer."

"Lurie is the killer and I'm certain he's behind this farce." He chose not to elaborate further, since it was apparent her focus was not on what this lunatic had done or what he was capable of doing, but on her own narrow focus of finding her grandchild.

"All the more reason to do as he says and find my grandchild." Heather placed the gun on the seat beside her and turned her attention to the scenary rushing past the window.

Noting her distraction, Grissom made a rash decision and swung the car sharply to the right and onto the shoulder of the road, pressing the brakes as he did, so that the car spun in a half circle and slammed against the guardrail with an intense impact.

Grissom braced himself against the side of the car and held tight to the steering wheel, thankful that the airbag did not deploy as he heard the sound of a gun sound throughout the car before everything went black.

TBC


	19. Chapter 19

Irrefutable chapter 19

By: Manigault

Thanks for the patience of anyone and everyone reading this story! I've some problems with loading my documents to Sigh.

Thanks for the nice comments and reviews. I do hope to finish this before the new season starts.

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Lurie settled down behind the monitors and scanned over each one looking for Sara. Nothing. She had not returned to her home and she had not been in her car that night. Discouraged, he turned to the one that should have shown Grissom and Heather, frowning when he saw the monitor was blank. He picked up the phone and dialed the number that would connect him with Grissom and heard the voice mail pick up after the fourth ring. Anger simmered in his eyes as he dialed a second number and waited for Sara to answer.

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A sensation of sound and feeling assaulted Grissom as he tried to pry open his eyes, only to close them quickly as a low groan emitted from his lips. Reality slowly crept back in as he forced his eyes open and found himself staring up into the faces of strangers.

"What happened?" he asked, his eyes darting from one unfamiliar face to another while trying to assimilate what had transpired.

"You were in a car accident."

It rushed back to him as he recalled his determination to thwart Heather and displace her weapon. Heather. His eyes widened as he remembered the sound of the gun firing in the seconds before he lost consciousness.

Gripping the arm of the female EMT who had answered his question, Grissom inquired to the whereabouts of the woman that had been with him.

"Your friend has been transported to the hospital with a gunshot wound to the lower leg." She studied the prone man with questioning eyes and couldn't disguish her curiousity. A nudge in the side by her partner, brought her back to the present and she scowled slightly.

"Is she okay?" asked Grissom, struggling to sit up on the gurney. Gentle hands pushed him back down and he didn't resist as waves of pain clutched his mind.

"She should be fine," the EMT assured him as she pulled the strap over his chest and snapped it into place. "We're taking you to the same hospital to be checked out."

"Sara," murmurred Grissom as he reached for his pocket searching for his phone. He had to get in touch with Sara.

"Is that your friends name?"

Confusion warred within Grissom's mind as he tried to determine what this EMT was asking him. "Sara's my life. I need to talk to her and let her know I'm okay."

"You'll see her at the hospital."

"Sara's at the hospital?" Grissom shook his head in an attempt to clear the cobwebs from his mind. "Sara's in Vegas. I need my cell phone."

Grissom felt himself lifted on the gurney and transported to the ambulance.

"You can see her when you get to the hospital," the EMT reassured him again, not understanding the Vegas reference. He was obviously confused. She exchanged a bemused look with her partner and mentally noted to add that to the report she would give the nurses.

Grissom opened his mouth to protest when another wave of blackness swept over him.

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Sara shook her head as Nick and Warrick both took turns fussing about Grissom and his insensitivity.

"What was he thinking? I can't believe that Grissom could allow himself to be run out of town on a wild goose chase." Nick knew that his voice was unsteady as he tried to take in everything Sara had filled them in on.

"I didn't tell you all of this so you would be angry with Grissom," said Sara with a sad frown.

Warrick reached for her elbow and squeezed it gently. "We're not mad at Griss," he sent Nick a look of steel and dared him to object.

Taking the hint, Nick nodded slightly. "I'm worried about him, that's all," he sighed and then added, "and I'm worried about you."

"I just need to speak with him and know that he's okay." Picking up her phone, Sara almost dropped it as it began to ring. Recovering quickly, she stared at the caller id and shuddered. "It's not Griss."

Warrick and Nick watched as the sadness that had been weighing her down, turned to anger as she answered the call.

"What do you want?"

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Hearing the anger in Sara's voice, Lurie had to struggle to contain his own irritation. His well thought out plan was unraveling. This wasn't how it was supposed to happen and he quickly reassured himself that Sara's anger was directed at Grissom for running off with Lady Heather and not at himself who was doing everything for her. She would see that he wanted nothing but to prove his love.

Pushing aside any shred of rationality he spoke plainly as he heard Sara's question.

"I want you, of course."

The silence that greeted him caused a few seconds of distress, but he quickly dismissed it as he continued with his plan.

"Sara? Did you hear me?"

"I heard you," she said, her voice betraying the slightest unsteadiness.

"When are you going home?" asked Lurie.

"Home? When am I going home?" Sara's voice was slicing through the wire and the anger made him wince.

"I know that your're upset that Grissom ran off with Lady Heather, but we can talk about it. If you go home and relax then we can talk about everything without anyone overhearing."

Lurie stared at the monitors that showed Sara's empty house. He could rewind some of his tapes and watch her undressing for bed or getting ready for a bath, but somehow he wanted to know that she was physically present as he watched her actions.

When Sara didn't respond to his statement, he said with a firmness that he was certain could transform over the voice changer, "I insist that you return home."

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When Lurie insisted that she return home, Sara stared at the concerned faces of Warrick and Nick and held up one hand to keep either man from snatching the phone from her hand. She would handle this lunatic.

"I'm not returning home until Grissom is back," she said with determination. She didn't care that he knew Grissom was on his way back to the lab and now was as good a time as any to state that fact.

The eerie laugh that reached her ears made her shiver, but she held on and kept her confidence.

"He should be back anytime," she continued, mentally daring him to challenge that information.

"No, Grissom is not on his way back," Lurie considered the whereabouts of Grissom and took a chance. "If you don't listen to what I'm telling you then the odds of you ever seeing Grissom again will become zero."

Sara heard the threat and pushed back the sick thought in her mind that he could somehow reach across the miles and harm Grissom. The sudden image of some type of detonator in his car sprang to mind and she found herself reaching out for the counter where she could lean against some solid surface before she did the unthinkable and collapsed. She was allowing her imagination to run away with her and in the process giving Lurie an advantage.

Ignoring the questioning eyes of her friends, Sara drew in her breath and said firmly, "You're a coward. You use a voice disguisher to hide your own voice and you expect me to believe anything you say? You sent Grissom on a pointless search so that you could get him away from Vegas, away from me. Why? I'm not Debbie Marlin."

Sara shrugged off the warning hand of Nick on her forearm and stared at an invisible spot on the wall as she waited for his reaction. It wasn't what she expected as he chuckled softly and this time without the voice diguisher concealing the masculine tone. The absence of the voice disguisher startled her almost as much as the next words he spoke.

"You think that you know who I am and that you have me figured out? Go home, Sara, and then I'll talk to you."

Sara stared at the phone as she heard the dial tone and immediately tried to connect with Grissom.

"Voice mail," she muttered, a deflated expression flitting over her face. "I'm going home."

"You can't!" exclaimed Nick with Warrick closely seconding his adament statement.

Sara gave the men a tired smile and shook her head as she began walking from the room determined to grab her things from the locker room and head home. "I'm not playing his games anymore."

"You are playing right into his hands by going home because he request it?" Nick looked up and down the hall in the hope that someone would appear who could talk sense into Sara. If only Grissom would walk through the lab doors.

Warrick leaned against the locker room door and watched Sara gather her stuff, including her gun. "Will you wait and talk to Brass? We'll see if he found anything out and then maybe he can arrange someone to stay with you."

Sara slammed her locker door shut and turned to face Warrick and Nick. "I'm going to end this."

The determination on her face gave both men the uncomfortable feeling that Sara was about to do something that could jeopardize her life. "You aren't going over to Lurie's? What if it's not him?"

Sara pushed back Nick as he was asking the question and shot her answer back over her shoulder. "I'm going home. If some unwelcome visitor appears while I'm there then the law should be on my side."

Warrick glanced at his watch before turning to Nick, "I believe we're off shift. You coming?"

"I'm with you War," said Nick, "let's go."

TBC


	20. Chapter 20

Irrefutable

By: Manigault

Thank you for reading this story! I realize the chapters are short, but hopefully it's entertaining.

Thanks to those who have reviewed!

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Sara felt uneasy as she pulled into her garage, put the car in park, then slowly drummed her fingers on the steering wheel as her mind searched for answers to this turn of events. Going on the assumption that the man was Lurie and the strong possibility that he had cameras in every room of her home, then she had to form a plan that didn't involve relying on anyone except herself.

With reluctance she slid from her car and approached her house while attempting to push the feeling of being watched from her mind. Turning off the alarm, she was about to retype the code when her front doorbell rang startling her out of her self induced trance. Fear leapt into her throat and was quickly followed by anger as she walked to her front door, one hand clutching the gun that she had slid into her jacket pocket when leaving the lab.

Peering through the peephole she spied a familiar face and almost ignored the persistant ringing, not wanting to involve her friends anymore than she already had, but not knowing what else she could do.

Opening the door part way, she shook her head at the sight in front of her and couldn't stop the grin from flitting over her face. Nick stood on the threshold with a backpack on his shoulder and determined expression of defiance on his handsome face. Warrick had one finger on the doorbell, a backpack settled at his feet wearing a similar expression.

"You realize that I can't let you stay here," said Sara while forcing herself to frown at the two men.

Placing a hand on the door Warrick gently pushed on it until Sara stepped back and allowed them to step inside while Nick said firmly, "Too bad. We decided that you needed company and we plan on sticking to you like glue."

Sara was about to close the door when another familiar face popped around the edge.

"Greg? I suppose you spoke with Nick and Warrick and they infromed you of our sleepover?" Sara tried to keep the sarcasm to a minimum. The fact was she was happy to have their company, but was certain that Lurie would not take kindly to her bringing her lab friends home. Keeping herself from scanning the room, Sara closed the front door, turned the locks and waved her hand around the room at her guests. "Make yourselves at home. There are two guest rooms and the sofa. You can hash it out with one another. I'm going to try to sleep for a few hours."

There was no way that she could take her clothes off, not with knowing that Lurie was watching her every move like some sort of peeping tom. She felt her heart ache for Grissom and the life they had shared before this nightmare began and clutched the phone to her heart as she stretched out on the bed and stared at the ceiling, willing him to call her and let her know that he was okay.

Where was he?

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Lurie watched as Sara drove from the lab and pulled into her garage. Elated that he could once again watch her as she moved from her car towards the house, he picked up his cellphone with anticipation. He would wait until she was settled inside before he phoned. She turned off the alarm and then he waited for her to punch the numbers back in, thinking she was safe from intruders. She would then head to the bedroom where she would slip off her clothes and head into the bathroom for a long hot bath.

Irritation marred his features as he watched her walk towards the front door and open it a crack. He couldn't see who she was speaking with until the door widened and two men from the lab stepped inside the room. Warrick and Nick. He scowled at their boldness. Watching Sara's expression he realized that she wasn't happy to have them there but most likely didn't know how to make them leave. Seconds later, a third man stepped inside the room.

He watched as Sara waved her hand around the room and made some comment before slipping into her room. Pleased that she wanted to be rid of them he waited for her to go through her routine of taking a bath. When she entered her room, closing the door behind her softly, she made a beeline for her bed, clothes intact. He watched her stretch out, fully clothed, on her bed and stare up at the ceiling, the phone clutched in her hand.

She was waiting for him to call.

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Grissom was more alert when he made it to the surface of his latest blackout. Immediately he realized that he was in an exam room, EKG leads strapped onto his chest, a blood pressure cuff on his arm, and a nurse taking a sample of his blood as he flinched.

"Sara," he mumbled and scowled when his words came out a whisper, "I need to speak with my girlfriend. She needs to know that I'm okay."

"Your friend was taken into surgery to remove a bullet from her lower leg," the nurse said gently while placing a vial of his blood on a tray. She had been given a heads up by the EMT's that this man was from Vegas and was talking a bit out of his head. He appeared very sane to her as he rubbed his head and gave her an imploring look.

"That's not my girlfriend. Sara's in Vegas and she's in trouble. I need to talk to her and let her know that I'm okay. Heather is the woman in the OR, I'm sure she's fine." Grissom reached into his back pocket for his wallet. "I have my licence. Please, just let me have a phone and then you can draw all the blood you like."

"I'm done," the nurse said with a glance at the name on the licence, "Mr. Grissom. My name's Ida and I'll be happy to let you use the phone if it's a local call."

Grunting with the effort, Grissom struggled to sit up while keeping his voice calm. "I need to phone Sara, in Vegas, not a local call. My cell phone was in my car, but if I can borrow one? It's urgent that I call her now." Grissom couldn't explain the feeling of dread that was washing over him as he felt this urge to get in touch with Sara.

"I don't have a cell phone but we will do our best to get you in touch with your girlfriend. Registration needs to get some information from you now so that we can process your insurance information." Ida smiled at him and ignored the agitated look in his eyes.

The door closed with a click behind Ida as she left him alone with his anxiety. A phone on the wall beakoned to him and he made his way to it with a hopefulness that pushed his fears back for a minute. Picking up the phone he punched a nine for the outside line and then dialed Sara's cell phone number. A message played back to him infoming him that his number would not connect and to try again. Frustrated, he opened the door determined to find someone who could give him a number for a taxi. He would go to the airport and get the first flight back to Vegas.

Ida saw Grissom exit the room and frowned over at the dazed man. "Mr. Grissom? You can't leave until you've been checked over."

"I'm choosing to leave on my own accord and I'll sign whatever papers I need to sign refusing service."

"You were in a car accident that involved a gunshot wound," Ida was nervous as she darted a look over her shoulder and gave another nurse a pointed look. "If you return to your room until someone can speak with you, then I'm sure we can clear this up quickly."

A new understanding swept over him as he realized that he was a suspect in the shooting of Heather. Rubbing the back of his neck, he tried to think quickly and in a calm manner that wouldn't land him in a jail cell.

"I'm a crime scene investigator with the Las Vegas crime lab," he said, his voice firm but with urgency floating throughout the words. "If you will call the Vegas police department and ask for a Captain Jim Brass then this matter will truly be cleared up quickly. In fact, I would like to speak to him."

Grissom realized that his voice was getting louder as several people stopped and turned to watch the scene unfold. Security was approaching as Grissom made his statement and they gave no sign of appearing the least bit impressed by his statement.

Suddenly knowing what it felt like to be on the receiving end of an investigation, Grissom struggled to calm himself and make his attempt to reach someone who could get a message to Sara.

TBC


	21. Chapter 21

Irrefutable

By: Manigault

Thanks for those who reviewed! It keeps me energized and eager to finish this one out (no three years on this story).

Note: I know that I placed the men around Sara. Now I'm taking them away-Don't cuss me! g 

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She couldn't fall asleep. There was no way she could sleep without hearing Grissom's voice and knowing if he was okay. She had just decided to phone Brass and ask him if he'd heard from Grissom when ringing cut into her thoughts.

Her breath caught as she looked at the caller id and frowned in disappointment. Unknown caller. Lurie. She considered not answering but then an image of the Grissom look alike in the hotel flashed through her minds eye and she pressed the button with an angry stab.

"What is it?"

She expected the voice disguisher to greet her when he spoke and was startled to hear he had apparently abandoned the gadget in favor of his own voice.

"I'm not happy that you let those men stay with you, Sara, although I know that you didn't invite them."

Her eyes widened at this revelation and silently she questioned herself about why she was surprised. Cameras. Cameras in her home as some psycho watched her every move. In that second she decided that when Grissom did come home then they would have to discuss selling the house and finding another one, a house that wasn't tainted by these unsettling images.

"My friends are concerned about me and want to protect me from you," said Sara, while standing up and moving away from the bed. She didn't want to speak with Lurie while she was on the bed that she and Grissom shared. "I want to speak with Grissom."

"He's not with me," Lurie said, his next words evasive, "Grissom's with someone that I trust. Someone that will do as I ask at the drop of a pin."

Sara shook her head and narrowed her eyes at this statement. "He's with Lady Heather," she said with sudden understanding, "she's the person that will do your bidding? She would hurt Grissom for you?"

Lurie took advantage of her question, although silently he doubted that Lady Heather could harm him if it came to that point. The problem was he didn't know where Grissom was or who he was with and knew that his time was limited in convincing Sara that he was in control.

"Of course she would," he said with deliberate sterness, "wouldn't you do whatever someone asked if it meant you could protect your loved one?"

"Heather's grandchild." Sara breathed out the words as new doubts entered her mind. Would Heather hurt Grissom if she thought it would lead her to this child? She'd seen the lengths she went to when she was angry with the man who killed her daughter so what would she do to find that daughters child? All of these questions assaulted her mind as she paced the bedroom and tried calming herself down enough to think logically.

"If you don't want anything to happen to Grissom then I need you to do what I tell you to do, Sara."

Pausing in her steps, Sara frowned and tried to make sense of the words that muddled her thoughts. Straigtening her shoulders, she asked him to explain what he expected.

"I want you to drive to Boulder City and then to Lake Mead Marina," he was speaking rapidly now, his self control faultering as the image of having Sara in front of him becoming more realistic. "I don't want you to let those men know where you are going and I don't want you to call anyone, so leave your phone."

Dread pressed in on Sara's mind as she pushed away the thoughts of being alone with this man and again she questioned if he really had the ability to harm Grissom. Why didn't Grissom call?

"You want me to drive to Lake Mead Marina? Where is that?" Sara knew exactly where it was because she and Grissom had spent a long weekend on a boat they had rented only a few months ago.

A tsking sound traveled over the line. He couldn't know, could he? His next words told her that he had done his research. "You have a short memory, Sara, I'm disappointed in you, but given the circumstances I can understand why you are forgetful. I'll give you directions." He proceeded to inform her of the route to the marina and she rubbed her forehead as she listened to the already familiar directions. "You aren't writing this down," he added as he finished explaining to her that the marina was only thirty miles from Las Vegas.

Feeling sick, Sara looked around the room checking the corners for any sign of the cameras. "Where did you hide the cameras, Lurie? When did you hide them?"

"When I see you in person then I'll give you the answers that you are looking for Sara." Realizing that he should leave if wanted to beat Sara to the Marina, he gave an exaggerated sigh and then said simply. "Wait fifteen minutes, and then leave. I'll be watching." Sara was smart and he hoped that she wouldn't realize that he was cutting his connection with her for possibly the next hour. He hoped that she wouldn't piece that together as he stepped outside of his home and walked briskly towards his car.

"What is the name of the boat? I assume that I'm supposed to find a boat?" Sara kept turning around the room as she spoke, searching for the cameras. Why did he ask her to wait fifteen minutes?

"The Marlin." A click of the phone ended their connection.

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Grissom slammed his fist against the exam room door and demanded someone open it immediately and hear him out. Only a few minutes earlier he had been forced back into the room by two hospital security guards who had turned deaf ears on everything he was trying to explain to them.

"Detective Thompson is on his way in as we speak, Mr. Grissom," Ida nervously informed the frustrated man before the door closed. "Alec will sort this out for you."

Ida watched the disbelief wash over the man's face as the door closed and she wrung her hands in concern. "What if he's telling the truth and there is someone in danger in Vegas?" She directed the question to the two security officers who had stationed themselves on each side of the door and received only a shrug from each man as they began discussion last nights baseball scores. She heard Mr. Grissom bang his fists on the door and listened as he implored them to phone Captain Jim Brass in Vegas.

Walking back over to the desk, Ida suggested to another nurse that maybe they should try to reach this Captain in Vegas. "What could it hurt?"

"Alec will be here soon, let him handle it," Erin replied with a pointed stare at the charts in her hands, "besides, you have other patients that are waiting to be seen and the waiting is filled past capacity."

Ida nodded. Alec was the detective that frequented this ER on various calls. Everyone liked and trusted him. He was very fair and keenly intelligent. He would sort this mess out. What could a few minutes matter anyway? Pushing the thoughts of calling Vegas from her mind, she bustled off to her next patient.

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Fifteen minutes. She had fifteen minutes. Why had he given her that? Sara stared at the phone in her hand and made a quick decision. Grissom's voice mail. Again. Pressing another number she phoned Brass and waited for him to answer. Why wasn't he answering? Frustrated, she entered her closet and tried to decide what she should do and if she should wake up the guys. What if he was still watching her? But he had given her fifteen minutes, didn't that mean he wanted a head start?

Her ringing phone caused her heart to skip a beat and she pressed the phone against her ear, hoping beyond hope that it was Grissom or even Brass.

It was Lurie.

"Sara? Did you try calling Grissom again? Shame on you."

He was throwing out a wild guess, wasn't he? Sara wasn't sure of anything anymore. Spying a jar of red creeper that Grissom had once placed in the closet as a joke, she had an idea.

"I'm waiting the fifteen minutes that you asked me to wait before leaving. Is that a problem?"

"I think that you should leave now." Lurie said with a new urgency. He was beginning to doubt that Sara would actually follow him to the Lake Mead Marina.

With another click of the phone, he hoped that he had instilled enough doubt in her that she would not alert her friends.

Sara walked into her den and found that Greg was sound asleep on the sofa. Placing her phone on the kithen counter, she gave one last look at a sleeping Greg and fought an urge to wake him up. She wasn't stupid, but realized that with Grissom's life at stake she was willing to behave in a stupid manner. If she could save him, then putting her own life at risk was minor.

With a sigh, she carefully opened the door and stepped outside.

TBC


	22. Chapter 22

Irrefutable

By: Manigault

Thanks for the replies! They are very much appreciated!

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Brass stared at his cell phone with disgust. Somehow he'd missed a call from Sara and hadn't realized it until he had pulled the same object out to try and call Grissom again. Pushing the redial button he waited for Sara to answer, an apology ready on his lips. What he didn't expect was the sleepy voice that did answer Sara's phone.

"Greg? Is that you?"

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A grumbling Greg rubbed his eyes and tried to make sense of the disgruntled voice on the other end of the line. Only seconds before he'd rolled off a sofa and smashed his elbow on the coffee table when he heard the persistant ringing sound. Muttering beneath his breath he waited for Sara to answer her phone when he realized that she must have left it on the kitchen counter.

He was groggy when he answered the phone, hoping that Sara wouldn't mind his doing so when he heard the question vibrate in his brain and shift until it made sense.

"This is Greg. Is this Brass?"

"Greg? I need to speak with Sara, is she with you?"

Greg looked around the room and shook his head before catching his actions and speaking quickly, "Nope. I guess that she's in her room, hopefully getting some sleep."

"She's at her house?"

Greg heard the disbelief in Brass's voice and caught himself nodding his head before lightly hitting himself in the forehead. "It's okay. Warrick and Nick are here also so we can take care of any maniacs that try to get to Sara."

There was a few seconds of silence over the line and Greg found his eyes closing again with sleepiness. Brass's next question brought him swiftly awake.

"Why wouldn't Sara have her phone with her? She keeps that thing glued to her side these days." He didn't have to add 'in case Grissom calls'.

"Hold on, I'll knock on her bedroom door and see if she's awake," said Greg.

Greg held the phone in his hand as he jogged the short distance to the door where he had seen Sara disappear behind not that long before. He felt as though he was intruding on her privacy, but something wasn't sitting well with him. Knocking softly on the door, Greg waited for any sign that Sara was awake before calling out softly. When he got no answer, he turned the knob and stuck his head around the corner.

"Greg?" Brass's query floated through the air from the phone that was dangling in his hand.

Pushing the door open wider, Greg raised the phone to his ear and mouth and said with trepidation. "Brass, she's not here." Greg's heart was slamming against his chest as he surveyed the room for any sign of Sara's prescence.

"Did you check the bathroom?" asked Brass, his own pulse increasing with the statement.

Greg called out for Sara as he approached the bathroom. "She's not in the bathroom. The bed doesn't look like it was slept in, but I know that Sara wouldn't leave the house. No way would she do something that stupid."

Brass could only hope that was the case, but love and concern could make an otherwise intelligent person take stupid chances.

"Check the rest of the house and then call me back," said Brass as he walked to his car and fumbled for the keys. "I'm on my way over there but I want you to phone me after you've checked everything out. Wake up the guys and have them help."

Greg ran from the bedroom and along the hallway. Sara could be in one of the rooms, talking privately with Nick or Warrick. She wouldn't leave the house without telling them, would she? Banging on the first door, Greg hoped that he was being over dramatic and that the door would swing open to show an angry Sara demanding to know why he was making so much noise.

Nick was the one who opened the door, sleep pressing against his eyes as he struggled to make out the frantic form that stood before him, rambling on about Sara and something about her missing.

"Greg. Slow down and tell me what's going on? Where's Sara?"

Nick heard the other guest room door click open as a curious Warrick peered into the hall at the curious spectacle of an excited Greg trying to explain something to Nick and not making any sense in the process.

"Sara. Brass. Can't find her and think she isn't here." Greg didn't know why he was having a hard time forming a sentence but he was finding it almost impossible to keep his train of thought straight as images of the victims in the hotel pressed into his mind's eye.

"Sara went someplace? She wouldn't do that, Greg. Relax, we'll find that she's someplace nearby." Nick looked around his own room expecting Sara to appear from some corner of the room.

"We'll spread out and find her, Greg, I'm sure she's okay," said Warrick, a look of concern making a lie of his words. It wasn't like Sara to take off without a word to anyone unless she felt as if she had no choice.

"Anyone think to check the garage to see if her car was still there?"

Warrick and Greg looked at one another as Nick spoke and the younger man made a beeline for the garage. "It's not here!" Greg shouted.

"She left without telling us and didn't take her phone," said Warrick, the words making the reality much more terrifying.

Greg punched the redial on his phone and barely waited for Brass to respond when he blurted out that Sara's car was gone and so was she. "Where would she go?"

"I'll be there in five minutes, Greg, look around to see if she left a note."

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By the time Detective Alec Thompson arrived, Grissom's nerves were stretched to the limits, his blood pressure was soaring, and his head was beginning that dull throb that began at the base of his neck and worked it's way up towards the back of his eyes until it would consume his thoughts.

Alec stepped inside the room and studied the man in front of him with a calm eye before holding out one hand in greeting and introducing himself. "Gil Grissom? I'm Detective Alec Thompson."

Rubbing his forehead, Grissom smirked slightly before placing his hands on his hips and staring at the detective with mistrust. He didn't feel like exchanging pleasantries and deep inside his subconcious he realized that move could be harming his position but somehow he couldn't bring himself to think logically. He needed to get in touch with Sara.

"I've explained everything and nobody appears to be listening to me," said Grissom as he launched into another explanation of who he was and where he worked. "I need to speak with Captain Jim Brass at the Las Vegas police department. He can vouch for me and get a message to someone that could be in danger."

Alec pulled out his cell phone and handed it to Grissom who stared at it with such an expression of astonishment that Alec almost laughed. Almost. The look in Grissom's eyes stopped him from showing any amusement and he realized the man was in earnest.

Grissom got ahold of his thoughts and dialed the first number that entered his mind. 'Answer the phone, answer the phone, Sara.'

"Hello?"

"Greg? Why are you answering Sara's phone?"

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Sara let up on the accelerator as she pulled into Boulder City. She was going to pull into a gas station and find a pay phone to call Brass. She would let him know where she was going and who she was meeting. Glancing in the rearview mirror she didn't notice anyone following her and hoped that Lurie was unable to monitor her actions as she pulled into the first gas station she found and eased the car to a stop. These days it was difficult to find payphones but she must have lucked out because there was one at the corner of the gas station.

Fumbling for some change she found what she needed before walking briskly to the phone with every intention of filling Brass in on the situation and being prepared to defend what she knew Brass would deem a stupid move on her part. Hoping that he had spoken with Grissom she kept thinking she would turn the car around and head back home if she only she knew that he was okay.

Picking up the phone she was dismayed when only silence met her and further inspection revealed that the phone was out of order. Glancing at her watch and then the gas station she made her way over towards the building to search for a means of communication.

TBC


	23. Chapter 23

Irrefutable

By: Manigault

Note: Thanks for the reviews! And, thank you to anyone who is still reading!

Short, but hopefully the next chapter will be soon.

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"Grissom! You're okay!" Greg held the phone away from his ear and pointed at it as he waved it wildly in front of Warrick and Nick. "It's Grissom!"

"Here, give me that," said Nick, grabbing the phone from Greg. "Griss, hey, we have a situation here."

On the other end of the line, Grissom felt his throat constrict as he leaned against the wall and asked to speak with Sara.

"That's just it, Grissom, she's not here and we don't know when she left or where she went." Nick felt terrible giving Grissom this news but it was fact and there was no way around it. Sara was gone.

"Where are you now?" Grissom asked, afraid that he already knew the answer.

"Sara's place. Your place. She had to have left on her own free will because I was here, Warrick and Greg were both here and she said nothing to us."

"Why was Sara at our home? She shouldn't have gone back there until I got back to Vegas." Grissom could hear Nick's heavy sigh and then the sound of the doorbell in the background. "Whose at the door?"

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Entering the gas station Sara's eyes swept the room searching for a phone or maybe someone who could let her use their personal phone. She would give them her credit card if they let her call Brass. There was nobody in sight as her eyes swept up and down the narrow isles of junk food and necessities.

"Anyone here? Hello?"

She was about to search the counter for a phone when a young boyish face appeared in front of her as the owner of that face popped up from behind the counter with a grin that reminded her of Greg back in the day.

"Hi there! May I help you?" The boy appeared to be late teens or early twenties and much too filled with mischief by the way he was checking her out. "I'm Bronson."

Wtih a short shake of her head, Sara wondered how many times someone had introduced themselves when she had stopped into a gas station. The answer came quickly to mind. Never. There was something about the way the boy was acting that unnerved her and made her anxious to get out of there and on the road home.

"I need to use a phone," Sara nodded her head towards the parking lot where she could see her car still parked beside the pay phone. "That pay phone is broken so if you can let me make a quick call?"

"Noooo, sorry. I was told to give you this, however."

Sara stared in horror as Bronson reached over the counter and shoved an envelope into her hands. "What's this?"

"You _are_ Sara? I was shown your picture and asked to give you that when you stopped in here, so I'm giving it to you."

"This is crazy."

Sara stared at the young boy in dismay and thought she saw a flicker of doubt flash in his eyes. Pouncing on that possibility she said quickly, "You need to let me use a phone before you are convicted of helping a murderer."

The words had the opposite affect on the boy as he laughed and pointed to the letter. "The man told me that you were playing some kinky game and that you would play that card. Vegas gets all kinds, doesn't it? You should read your letter."

The letter felt heavy in the hand and bulky. Lurie couldn't have possibly known that she would stop here, could he? Was there a letter at each gas station between Vegas and Lake Mead Marina? She had no way of knowing, but the surreal nature of this situation was making her begin to unravel.

With shaking hands, she opened the envelope.

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"Brass. It's Brass, Grissom," Nick waved the older man over to the phone and handed it to him at Grissom's request.

"Gil, I'm sorry, I know that I told you that I would keep her safe and apparently I've failed." Brass rubbed sweat from his brow as he spoke.

"We can argue about whose fault it is later, Jim, but for now we need to get Sara back." Grissom felt so helpless being stuck in this hospital hundreds of miles from Sara and from the team.

"Gil, hold on," Brass held the phone away from his ear as he tried to make out something that Warrick was shouting from within Sara's bedroom. "We may have a lead, something Warrick found."

Grissom held his breath as he waited for Brass to explain to him what it was that Warrick had found and if it could lead them to Sara.

"Jim? What is it? Talk to me."

In Vegas, Brass huddled around the closet doorway along with Warrick, Nick and Greg as each man stared in fascination at the message that was splayed out in bright red letters on the closets carpet.

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She had to reread the letter several times before she could concentrate on what it said and even so found herself shaking her head.

_If you are reading this, Sara, then shame on you. I forgive your actions, however, and know that you are frightened of the truth. Leave now and I'll expect you in ten minutes from the second you start your car. The boy has been instructed to call me as soon as you pull out. _

Sara looked up and steadied her eyes on the boy who watched her with eager eyes and a knowing smile. "This isn't a game, Bronson, this man is crazy."

"That's what he told me you'd say and he assured me that's all part of the game."

"How much is he paying you? I'll double whatever it is if you let me use your phone to call Captain Jim Brass. You call him yourself," Sara leaned against the counter and stared into the teenagers eyes. "In fact, why don't you call the Las Vegas Police Department and ask to speak with Captain Jim Brass. Call him."

A sudden fearful look passed over the boys face and he backed up a few steps before shaking his head and laughing nervously. "You're bluffing. The man told me that you would sound very convincing but like he said, you could just get in your car and leave, right? He's going to pay me double the amount after your little game is over. You'd better get moving." He pressed a button on a phone and said quickly. "She's leaving right now."

Sara considered pulling out her gun and demanding the cell phone but then she made the mistake of looking back inside the envelope. Pictures of the victims from the hotel caught her eye and she made a decision. She would face Lurie and end this nightmare. She had ten minutes to get there.

TBC


	24. Chapter 24

Irrefutable

By: Manigault

Thanks again for the reviews and to those who are reading this story!

It was never my attention to dumb Sara down, hopefully she will be redeemed a little bit. Sigh.

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"Talk to me, Jim," Grissom caught the curious eye of Detective Thompson and averted his gaze as he concentrated on what Brass was relaying to him.

"Sara left a message on your closet floor," Brass held his hand over the mouthpiece and asked Greg to repeat what it said to Grissom while he made some phone calls.

Grissom found himself listening to Greg who was excitedly explaining to him that Sara had left a message telling them where she was going and the name of the boat.

"The Marlin," Grissom repeated with feeling, the confirmation that the madman was Lurie was no comfort and now Sara was playing straight into his hands. Sara was too smart for this bullshit. The problem was he didn't have a leg to stand on since he, too, had played the warped game.

"Griss, we're heading out. I'll call you back."

Greg hit the end button disconnecting him from what was going on in Vegas and he felt both hopless and angry. Glaring at the phone he looked up when he felt a hand on his arm and found himself staring into kind eyes.

"It sounds like you need to get back to Vegas. I'll drive you to the airport but you'll have to make the call to book yourself a plane." Alec turned away from him and didn't wait for the distraught man to catch up before saying over his shoulder. "We better get going since it sounded like time is of the essence." Having heard the entrie conversation it had occurred to him that his wife was not lying when she said the sound was turned up too high, but in this instance he was happy that he had ignored her comments.

Grissom dialed Catherine's number and was relieved when she picked up immediately. "No questions, Cath, I need a favor." He went on to ask her to check the departure times from LA to Vegas and requested she call him back on the number he used to call her on. Drawing a deep breath, Grissom tried to settle back in the passenger seat of the car that Alec had led him to when they exited the ER.

Alec wasted no time putting a siren on top of his car and pulling out onto the road with the intent of getting his passenger to the airport as fast as possible. He spared one look over at Grissom and felt his heart go out to the man. "Your girlfriend must be in some serious trouble. This man is nobody to mess with?"

Grissom didn't feel like discussing Lurie, but Alec was being so helpful and he felt he owed him that much. "Lurie is the bottom of humanity."

He would have given a synopsis, but his cell rang identifying Catherine as the caller. "What do you have for me?"

"Nothing, Gil, not for the next two hours. I'm sorry. I did book you on the earliest flight that I could get you on but it's the best I can do." He heard her pause and then she said softly, "I spoke with Warrick and he filled me in on the latest. Jim has every cruiser in the vicinity heading in that direction."

"It's not enough," Grissom asked for the information of the flight and told her he would talk to her later, but to call if she had any news.

"No luck?" Alec asked with geniune concern.

"No flight out for two hours."

"Let me have my phone for a second," said Alec with a tone of determination. He pushed a few buttons and asked to speak with Hugh. After a brief exchange, Alec went in for the reason of his call. "I'd like to cash in on that favor that you owe me, Hugh. Very important. This week? More like right now. Serious. It's a matter of life and death. No kidding. Fantastic. I owe you pal!"

Grissom stared at Alec with a curious look and didn't have long to wait for an answer.

"Hugh and I were in the military together, we go way back," Looking in the rearview mirror, Alec made a complete u-turn in the middle of the road and hit the accelorator.

"You saved his life?" Grissom guessed, still confused about the importance of this favor that Hugh could provide.

"In a manner of speaking," Alec let a brief grin flash over his lips before turning serious. "Hugh owns a private airport and has a private plane that can take you to Vegas."

They reached the private airport in record time and Grissom found himself caught in a whirlwind as Alec introduced him to Hugh, who motioned towards a plane that was on a the runway.

"Good luck," Alec said holding his hand out to Grissom who took it with a firm grip. "Keep it," Alec said when Grissom tried to hand the cell phone back to him, "when you get your girlfriend back then you can mail it to me." Alec pulled a card out of his pocket and handed it to Grissom. "My wife has a catering buisness from our home and the address is on the card. Take care."

Grissom nodded and thanked him again as he let Hugh lead him out to the runway and his destination home.

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Lake Mead Marina. Sara drew a deep breath as she pulled into a parking space and asked herself what she was doing meeting a lunatic who had murdered at least four people. She was working on emotions and accepted this fact about her actions, but it didn't mean she had to walk onto this man's boat and most possibly into a death trap. With new resolve she turned off the engine and slowly stepped from her car, thankful that it was daylight and there were people milling about the Marina.

With a defiant lift of her chin she walked along the dock and searched for the Marlin which she spotted at the end of the dock consciously aware of the feel of the gun she sported beneath her light jacket and along her back. She had placed a knife inside her shoe and another one against her left leg hoping that it wouldn't come to the point where she would have to use either one of them.

Her heart sped up when she saw a man step onto the deck of the Marlin and stare straight at her with a smirk. Lurie. He was the man she remembered from the interrogation room only this time he was wearing tan pants and a light yellow polo shirt. His smirk changed into a full blown smile when she stopped walking twently feet from the boat and glowered at him.

"Come on aboard, Sara, and I'll show you around."

Sara placed her hands on her hips and slowly inched her right hand around her back until she felt the handle of her gun. With one swift movement she pulled it out and pointed it towards the man on the deck whose smile was faltering and morphing into one of bafflement.

"What are you doing? You came here to escape from your incredibly boring life, didn't you?"

Pulling the trigger back, Sara glared at the lunatic who had wrecked havoc on the life that she had worked so hard to obtain.

"Shut up, Lurie, it's my turn to talk." Sara fought hard not to pull the trigger and end this nightmare, but her own self control won out as she fought the sickening feeling that washed over her at the thought of taking another life, even a crazy murderer who was threatening Grissom. "You've invaded my home, my life, you've threatened the only man that I've ever loved and planned to grow old with, you've pushed me to the point where I will be forced to stop you so you can never harm anyone again," Sara took a deep breath before continuing, "I despise you and this is where it ends."

Anger flashed over Lurie's face as he took in the seriousness of Sara's posture and words. "You wouldn't dare shoot me."

"If she doesn't, then I will."

Sara almost dropped the gun at the sound of the unfamiliar voice and risked a quick glance to her right to take in a bulky man, mid-forties, completely unknown to her memory, who had a gun pointed in the same direction as her own.

TBC


	25. Chapter 25

Irrefutable

By: Manigault

Thank you Thank you for reading and to those who have replied. It's appreciated deeply.

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The stunned look on Lurie's face faded into anger once again as he turned his focus back onto Sara, saying with a snarl. "Grissom is on this boat. He's below and tied up a bit. I suggest you both put the guns away or you will never see him again."

"Your bluffing, Lurie." Sara felt certain that the man was lying to her in order to instill doubt into her mind, but then, she hadn't heard from Grissom. Was it possible that someone, maybe Lady Heather, could have driven Grissom here?

"He's lying, Sara," the stranger stated with such certainty that she felt compelled to trust him, even if it was her own desires that won out.

"You _are _lying Lurie and I suggest that you step down off that boat with your hands in the air where we can see them." Sara steadied her hands as she kept the gun trained on Lurie.

Instead of stepping off the boat, Lurie held up one of his hands and revealed a small gadget that was linked with his fingers. "I killed you once, Debbie, but you had to take another lover and throw it in my face. Your lover is on this boat and he's going to be blown to bits if you don't join us and have your friend here put his gun away."

Sara stared in horror at the transformation that had taken place as Lurie's madness took a new turn. She wondered if he had thought she was Debbie all along, simply using someone else's name and life. It was insane.

"I'm Sara, not Debbie," she said with a calmness she didn't feel, her heart racing as she heard the distant sound of sirens. If she could keep him talking then maybe he would give up when he realized there was no way out for him. "I've always been Sara Sidle and you know this is true, Lurie, don't you. You know that what you're doing is wrong and you realize that your self control has slipped."

Doubt warred with common sense inside his exhausted mind and he fought the urge to collapse on the deck and let them take him. He shook the fog from his mind and stared at Debbie. It_ was _Debbie, he was certain of it. He had played her game and went along with the charade she was living as a CSI investigator realizing that Grissom had convinced her to play that role because he was in love with her also.

"You can stop this madness now, Lurie, by taking that thing off your hand." The stranger spoke and his words triggered something else inside Lurie which was not what either the stranger or Sara wanted to happen.

"Goodbye, Debbie."

With those words, Lurie pushed the button.

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"We're almost there," Brass spoke into his phone, informing Grissom of their progress to Lake Mead Marina. "There are several men that shoud be there right at this second."

Grissom heard Brass gasp and his own heart felt frozen with fear. "Jim? What is it?"

"Gil, honestly I don't know." Brass stared out of the window of his car as he sped along the road towards Lake Mead. A large flash of orange had ignited the sky as debris was flying in many directions. "There was an explosion."

Similar gasps had emitted from the other three men in the car as Warrick, Nick and Greg stared out their respective windows in dread of what the explosion implied.

"There was an explosion of some type," Brass finally managed to say to Grissom when he could claim his own voice. "Talk to Nick, I need to try to reach any officers on the scene." Brass handed the phone to the trembling hands of Nick who took it like it was a hot potato.

"Hi Griss," said Nick when he realized he had to say something.

"Nick."

When Grissom didn't say anything else, Nick struggled to think of the right words to assure him that Sara was going to be okay. "I'm sure Sara's fine, Griss, you know how smart she is."

"Smart enough to sneak out of our house and drive to meet a known killer." Grissom despised himself for muttering those words but he felt sickened to the core as images of Sara being on Lurie's boat when it exploded kept surfacing in his mind.

"It's not like she drove to LA with a dominatrix," said Nick in defense of his friend. Instantly he regretted his words as he heard Grissom's sharp intake of air. "Griss, I'm sorry, that was low."

"Your right, Nick, I made a mistake." Grissom didn't want to talk anymore and was thankful that his plane was landing. Catherine should be meeting him near the air strip and was going to drive him out to Lake Mead Marina where he had no idea what he would find.

"Here's Brass," Nick handed the phone back to Brass who was giving him a thunderous look.

"Gil, the officers said that it was a boat that exploded. Several witnesses saw a man standing on the boat while two people stood on the deck with guns pointed at him. When the boat exploded they lost track of what happened to the people with the guns. They haven't found them yet."

A sense of loss prevaded Grissom's senses as his mind went numb with dread. It had taken him so long to get his act together where Sara was concerned and they had slowly built a strong relationship that was everything he could have imagined. If he lost her now...

"Gil? You okay?" Brass said, when the silence was more than he could tolerate.

"No, Jim, I'm not." Grissom heard the hollowness in his own voice and wondered how he could form any words at all since his throat felt constricted. "Catherine's waiting for me. Call me back, Jim."

Grissom didn't add 'when you find Sara' and Brass winced at the emptiness in the other man's tone. He pulled the car into the closest spot he could find and found himself alone as the boys practically dove from the car and set off towards the dock. Standing alone for a long second, Brass studied the glowing scene around him and shook his head at the senselessness of it all.

He took a step towards the commotion when he thought he heard a faint cry from the region off to his left. Staring towards the lake he squinted into the distance and saw the slightest movement.

"Warrick! Nick!" Brass shouted in the direction the men had run off in but didn't wait for an answer as he started moving towards the lake's edge.

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Grissom moved like a ghost towards Catherine who was frowning at him as he approached.

"Get in, Gil, and you can tell me about it as I drive."

Once inside the car Grissom leaned his head back against the seat and squeezed his eyes shut, for once welcoming the pounding headache that had spilled over him.

"There was an explosion." Grissom said, not bothering to wait for Catherine's reaction as he added that he didn't want to talk.

The word 'explosion' led to all sorts of images in Catherine's mind and if the expression on Grissom's face was any indication if Sara was involved in this explosion, then his next words sealed it.

"She's gone, Cath,"

Pushing her foot on the accelerator, Catherine darted a quick look over at him. "You know this for certain?"

"She was there and the boat exploded."

Grissom jumped when he heard the loud slap of her fist on the steering wheel. Opening his eyes he risked a look at Catherine and found her glaring between him and the front windshield.

"It's not like you to be so negative, Gilbert Grissom. Get over it. Until we have searched that entire area for Sara then I don't want to hear about your ridiculous self pity. What's wrong with you? You have gone through too much to just quit on her and on yourself." Slapping the steering wheel again, she tried to control her anger.

"Are you done?" Grissom asked, closing his eyes again but this time recognizing the stirring of hope.

"Oh, I've only started," replied Catherine with another angry look cast in his direction.

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Greg dashed ahead of Warrick and Nick as he took in the chaotic scene with dismay. There was no sign of Sara. He did see a an officer leaning over a burly man as the man tried waving him away with a stern admonishment to search for the girl, Sara Sidle.

"Sara? You know Sara?" Greg slid to a stop in front of the stranger and glared at the man. "Are you the asshole who has done all of this to Sara?"

Rob Philmon stared at the wild eyed man who had jumped in front of the officer. He recognized him immediately from his vigel. "No, young man, my name's Rob Philmon and I'm a friend of Jim Brass. He hired me to watch over your friend and it looks as if I've failed."

"Failed? Where's Sara?" Greg said, sickness gripping his stomach in knots.

Warrick heard the exchange and asked quickly, "Where did you see Sara last? Was she on the boat?"

TBC


	26. Chapter 26

Irrefutable

By: Manigault

Thank you to everyone who has read this story and especially those who have reviewed. I hope it was worth the read.

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Brass stood on the lakes edge and squinted into the distance where he could make out a scattering of debris. Boards, not only from the pier, but from several boats were flung over the water in an array of confusion. He prayed there were no body parts mixed in with the debris.

"Sara? You out there?" Brass shouted, his eyes scanned over the floating boards for any sign of life. He thought for certain that he'd heard her cry for help when he'd stepped from the car and had been more certain that he'd seen a slight movement. Now he saw nothing except for the swaying boards.

Taking a step into the lake he felt the the water seep into his shoes, soaking his socks and the legs of his pants.

"Jim, what are you doing?"

Brass looked over his shoulder towards Warrick who was staring at him with concern.

"I thought that I heard Sara, but I don't see her from here," Brass shrugged and asked softly, "any luck over there?"

"We met your friend, Rob Philmon," said Warrick, his eyes moving from Brass to stare at the water over the man's shoulder as he continued to speak. "Philmon was with Sara when Lurie pressed a button that did all of this destruction."

"It was Lurie, then," Brass rubbed the back of his neck and started to take a step away from the water to go in search of his old friend when Warrick practically pushed him back into the lake as he brushed past him. "Warrick?"

Brass turned to find that Warrick was already diving into the water and swimming away from the shore towards something Brass could not determine.

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Nick patted Greg on the shoulder as they moved towards the section of the pier where Sara was last seen by Rob Philmon. They had been standing near each other when Lurie had detonated the bomb and neither one of them had time to process their actions as the air was shattered with the blast of the bomb and the fallout that resulted.

Philmon had been thrown backwards, hitting the edge of the water near the shore where he had blacked out. Sara, he'd assured them, had not been on the boat.

The sun was shining brightly over the water, intermingling with the bits and pieces from the bombs blast. Staring blankly into the horizon, Greg pushed back the tears that were threatening and focused on the area surrounding them.

"Hey Greg, isn't that Warrick out there?"

Greg followed the direction Nick was pointing and saw Warrick swimming towards a large boxy object of some type. Hope jumped inside the minds of each man as they raced away from the pier and back in the direction of the shore nearest to Warrick and where they found Brass standing knee deep in the lake.

"What's he see? Did he find Sara?" asked Greg excitment causing him to race past Brass and into the water towards Warrick.

"I don't know what he saw, but he was off in a flash," Brass said as he lifted his arm and swept it towards the lake. The men stood watching as Warrick reached the strange floating object and swiveled his body back towards the shore.

"Sara! I've got her and she's breathing!" Warrick shouted, his voice carrying over the water and reaching the mens ears like a cold slap. Immediately animated, each man took action and began to move in synch with one another as Warrick began slowly pulling the object with it's passenger towards shore.

Nick and Greg both ran into the water to meet Warrick while Brass pulled out his phone and radioed for an ambulance to meet them on the spot he was standing. Within seconds he was joined by EMT's, fellow police officers, and Rob Philmon.

Reaching Warrick's side, Nick and Greg noted the battered body of their friend who was lying halfway across part of a boat, one arm wedged between the boards to a degree that indicated she had somehow forced it through the narrow opening before passing out where she would have surely drowned.

Surrounded by her friends, Sara was gently pulled to shore where the EMT's took charge by gently pushing the protective men to the side so they could extract her arm from the boards and examine her injuries.

In all of the excitement, Brass was dimly aware that he needed to phone Grissom and let him know that they had found Sara and she was alive, if the worse for wear, and barely breathing.

He didn't get the chance as he saw a flurry of movement and Grissom was pushing his way through the small crowd that had gathered near the waters edge.

"Sara?" Grissom's eyes landed on Sara's face and his heart felt like it was going to beat out of his chest as he struggled to remain in some control of his emotions. "You're alive."

"We need to get her to the hospital for a complete assessment," one of the EMT's commented as they began the process of placing her on the stretcher. A groan escaped from Sara's lips as they lifted her and moved her to the gurney and her eyelids flickered open and then closed several times before she whispered softly.

"Grissom?"

Moving to the head of the gurney, Grissom was able to stare down at Sara as she whispered his name and her eyes flickered open to see him smiling gently. "I'm here, honey, I'm not leaving."

"We're okay?" asked Sara, her voice barely more than a whisper.

Kissing her forehead, Grissom nodded. "We're going to be okay."

Grissom followed the gurney as it was lifted into the ambulance where he insisted they allow him to remain by her side. Before stepping inside, he turned back to the sea of relieved faces of his makeshift family and smiled warmly. "Thank you."

Waving him on, the scene was reminescent of the one outside of Brass's hospital room when he was safely out of the woods. The image would stay with Grissom for the rest of his days. Climbing into the back of the ambulance he moved to Sara's side where he gripped her hand in his own and felt the slight squeeze that indicated she was aware of his presence. He'd been given a second chance and now a third to have the life he wanted. This time he would take no chances.

The End.

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Note: If there is a demand then there will be an epilogue. Let me know?


	27. Chapter 27

Irrefutable

By: Manigault

Epilogue

I was blown away by the request for an epilogue and it felt very daunting. I'm not sure that I've resolved this to everyone's satisfaction, but it here it is.

Thank you so much for reading this story and for the responses that I received. It means so much!

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Pulling into the garage Grissom shut off the ignition and turned half way around in his seat to observe Sara. After spending the night in the hospital, she had been released and allowed to return home with only a few minor injuries. She was fortunate. They both were, Grissom thought as he studied her bruised and cut face.

Turning towards him, Sara smiled tenderly as she reached across the seat to wrap her fingers around his own. They hadn't spoken about the events of the past few days, both knowing they had time to disect the details after each was satisfied with their own recovery.

This was the first time either of them had been home together since the whole ordeal had begun and the first time Grissom had stepped foot in their home since having the confrontation with Lady Heather.

It had been a busy night as he had settled in beside Sara in her hospital room while his team dragged themselves into work after being reassured that Sara would recover from her injuries. He didn't sleep as he watched Sara and fielded calls from Brass to Catherine updating him on their discoveries as they delved into Lurie's private life. Things had moved quickly after Lurie's body was found by scuba divers and a search warrant of his home was granted to Catherine and Warrick who wasted no time. Catherine wanted her team on top of this if the evidence they found revealed more of Grissom and Sara's private lives than should be known.

Taking a deep breath, Sara waved her hand around the car and then motioned towards the house. "There are cameras everywhere." Her statement was flat and said without emotion, but Grissom sensed the underlying pain that radiated from each word.

Nodding, he squeezed her hand and said softly. "Nick and Greg swept the cars and house. They cleaned everything out and assured me there are no more hidden cameras."

"The garage?"

"Everything."

When she didn't speak and made no move to climb from the car, Grissom asked with a gentleness reserved only for her ears. "Would you feel more comfortable if we went to my townhome or maybe even a hotel? I can reserve a suite in one of the resorts until we decide if we should keep this house or sell it and look for something else."

"You would do that?" Sara felt the tightness in her chest lessen as she absorbed his words and let the meaning sink inside.

"I would do anything for you, Sara, you should know that by now. If that means we sell this place and look for something else then that's what we'll do. You say the word."

Sara kept her eyes trained on his as she nodded slowly and processed what she was feeling. "I know that it's going to be awhile before I can feel like we're not being watched." Her eyes grew wide and she gripped his hand more tightly. "Videos. Grissom, what if he had videos of us making love?"

Grissom looked down and then pulled himself back together enough to face her squarely. "He did. Catherine and Nick found a stash in his home of videos that were all neatly labled. She assured me that she didn't watch them and would do everything possible to be certain that nobody else does either."

Mortified, Sara found herself nodding with a numbness that she felt would take over her life if she allowed it. With this thought came a new resolve that she wouldn't allow Lurie that power.

"Let's go inside." Sara extracted her hand from Grissom's and pushed open the car door to step into the garage. Good memories started to trickle back in and she held onto these as she faced Grissom and offered him a wide smile. "I don't want to talk about any of this for the rest of the day. Okay? I don't want to do anything but stay here with you and be normal."

She moved past Grissom and opened the door to the house, disappearing inside as she turned off the alarm. "I do want to change the alarm code." Her voice drifted back out to him from the interior of the house.

Grissom nodded but made no move towards the steps leading into the house.

"Griss? Are you coming inside?" She had stepped back out into the garage and waited for him to accompany her inside the house.

Grissom pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and looked from it to Sara before saying with an odd hitch to his voice, "I need to make a couple of calls and then I'm leaving my cell turned off and out here in the garage. I don't want to see or hear another cell phone for the next few days."

"That's good. I don't even know where mine is and I haven't missed it." Sara hesitated for a second before looking over her shoulder into the interior of the house. "I'm going to take a long bath."

He heard the hesitation in her voice and wanted to toss his phone aside immediately and follow her inside the house. He didn't want her out of his sight. His decision was interrupted by the ringing of the phone and he sighed heavily, his impulse shelved for the minute as he recognized Brass's number.

"Gil? How's Sara?"

"She's going to be fine, Jim, thanks for asking."

"I won't keep you but I thought that you would want to know what we found out concerning Lady Heather's grandchild."

The words took Grissom by surprise as he leaned against his car for support. "There is actually evidence that Lurie knew where the child is?"

"Apparently so," Brass told him that Catherine and Nick had found many labeled tapes and one of them had the letters L.H.G.C. This one they had watched, wondering if it would tie Lady Heather in with the plan involving Grissom and Sara. "It showed a child in a loving home with a couple outside Vegas. Whether or not this is truly her grandchild I don't know. We're checking it out. The child's name is Gavin and he was adopted. The timeline is right and they boy does have one blue eye and one green one."

"How did he find out about this child? What connection did he have with Heather?" Grissom was intrigued but not enough to leave Sara and go in search of the answers. He would let Brass and his team do the leg work on this one.

"Heather is being transported back here and I plan to question her myself. You want me to call you when she arrives?"

"No!" Grissom gathered himself and frowned at the chuckle that floated along the line. "In fact, I'm turning off my phone so pass the word. Don't panic if you can't reach me for the next day."

"It's not even your phone!" Brass objected but with a note of laughter in his tone. "I'll pass the word. Catherine won't like it, you realize that? Don't freak if she comes pounding on your door."

Grissom turned off the phone and stared at it for a second. It had slipped his mind that he had borrowed this phone. He would send it back tommorrow with a gift basket.

Leaving the phone on the hood of the car he entered the house and took in each room as if he'd been away for a year. It felt so good to be home. He hoped that Sara didn't want to sell, but he would support her decision if that was the direction she decided to take. Moving towards their bedroom he heard the water running and more memories surfaced as he followed the sound of her humming a familiar song. A good sign. She was so tough and if he'd doubted for a second that she would allow this nightmare to overtake her, then it was dispelled as he stood in the doorway of the bathroom and watched her relaxing back in the tub, her face a picture of beauty. His eyes trailed from her face along her arm to the the hand that was slowly moving bubbles along the surface of the bath in lazy circles.

"Everything okay?" Sara's question brought him back to reality as his eyes drifted from the mesmerizing movement of her hand and back to her watchful face.

"I thought that you wanted the rest of the day to be normal?" Grissom kept his voice casual but he stepped forward until he was sitting on the edge of the tub where he could reach out and rub his thumb over her chin.

"I do want it to be normal, but I also need to be certain that everything is okay with us." She moved her hand up to touch the back of his hand as it caressed her face and tried not to wince at the sudden flash of pain that arched across her body with the movement. She was sore all over from being thrown across the lake in the explosion and the doctor had assured her that she would probably be sore and achy for days. She thought of the explosion in the lab several years ago and how it had taken so long to recover, but this was much worse.

Concern transfigured Grissom's face as he recognized the pain that had swept through Sara's eyes. His own body wasn't feeling too sharp after his car accident but he would wait to give Sara the details of his own experiences in getting back to Vegas when she was ready to hear about it.

"I informed Jim that we weren't answering phones for the rest of the day so if they need to reach us they will have to drive out here and beat on the front door."

A fleeting smile from Sara encouraged him that he was right to not make a fuss over her demonstration of pain and the slight tug of her hand on his own brought his attention back to her eyes. "Why don't you make us a drink and I'll be out in fifteen minutes?" Sara hoped her voice was not shaking at the thought of being exposed in her own bathroom. When she had stripped to get into the tub she had to push back both the feeling of being on display and the knowledge that she was recorded on tapes for any prying eye to observe. She trusted Catherine and Jim, but they could do so much aside from destroying evidence to protect her privacy.

Picking up on her uneasiness and feeling slightly offended that she didn't even want him to see her step from the tub, Grissom nodded more shortly than he intended and left her alone in the bathroom. He didn't immediately head to kitchen to make the drink she requested, but made a detour towards the bookshelve where their stereo was situated. Picking a soothing song, he took the time to collect his thoughts and view the situation from Sara's point of view.

In the bathroom, Sara closed her eyes and tried to ignore the hurt she had seen in Grissom's eyes when she had dismissed him. Upset with her own emotions, she steeled her mind from permitting the feelings of being watched and slowly stood up in the tub and stepped over the edge to reach for a towel. 'Lurie is gone. He's not watching me.' She repeated this refrain several times as she wrapped her robe around her body and made her way to the den to find Grissom.

Pausing in the doorway, she saw him standing in front of the stereo, leaning forward as he gripped the shelves on each side, his head bent forward as he appeared to be lost in thought. Moving forward, she ran her hands along his back and felt him jump slightly. He didn't turn to look at her as he spoke.

"I'm sorry for leaving you, Sara. I'm sorry for allowing that predator to enter our home and steal something from us that nobody should have been privy too."

Leaning her forehead against his back, Sara kept rubbing his back as she pondered these words and searched for the reassurance that they both needed. "You didn't do anything wrong, Griss. You tried to help someone in the best way you knew how and I can't fault you for that. You insisted that I turn the alarm system on at all times and I didn't always do that. I allowed that maniac to access our home and invade our privacy. It was me."

Grissom turned and wrapped his arms around her body, hugging her close to his chest. "So much for having a normal day." Relief came to him as he felt her soft chuckle at his comment but it wasn't enough and he pulled back slightly to look into her eyes. "Honey, this isn't your fault," he stared into her eyes and refused to look away until she nodded.

"It's a wake up call, isn't it? We'll be more careful and a whole lot more paranoid for awhile." Another thought occurred to Sara and she lowered her head to his shoulder with a soft shudder. "The lab knows about us. Now that your're home and everything is out in the open how do you think this will play out?"

"I'm sure that we'll be called in for a meeting soon and we'll handle it then, okay? Right now I want to make that drink for us and maybe just settle on the sofa for awhile. Sound good?"

"Perfect."

Sara eased herself onto the sofa and watched Grissom move stiffly around the kitchen. He was hurting, that was obvious to her now that she had time to observe him. "What happened before you came back to Vegas, Gil?"

It must have been the use of his first name, but Grissom dropped the glass in his hand and swore beneath his breath. "Nothing happened. I thought you trusted me?"

Narrowing her eyes at this unexpected reaction, Sara swept her eyes from his head to his toes as she replied. "I meant your sore, almost like you've been in an accident of some type? What did you think I meant?"

Grissom refilled the glass and took his time approaching the sofa where he handed one of the drinks to Sara and looked at his feet with a guilty look. "I thought you were accusing me of being unfaithful to you with Heather. I wasn't," he added the last with a firmness that made her chuckle.

"I do trust you, Gil, and your reaction was the first time that anything else popped into my mind." Sara leaned forward and touched his knee. "Did that bitch come on to you?"

It was Grissom's turn to laugh softly and he moved his own hand to cover hers as he squeezed it slightly. "Not really, no. In fact, I slept in a chair when we were forced to stay at a hotel. She wasn't amused by that, but I told her of our promise."

"That you would never sleep with anyone but me?"

"Absolutely." Grissom's drink sloshed out of his glass as Sara pulled him forward to meet his lips with her own.

"I love you, Gil Grissom."

No other words were neccessary as the normalcy of their lives commenced.

End.


End file.
